Just Like Heaven
by greatgooglymoogly88
Summary: Craig Tucker is a cynical, raven-haired boy with a stony face and a calm disposition. Tweek Tweak is a blonde, coffee-addicted spaz who can't stand still. They may be opposites with a years long rivalry, but will things change their junior year of high school? Creek.
1. Prologue

_Sophomore year: It was a snowy November morning in South Park. At the local high school, a petite boy with messy blonde hair named Tweek Tweak stood at his locker, packing his bag for his classes. As he neatly piled in folders and text books, he felt someone move up behind him. He became nervous, knowing that the person would inevitably be Craig Tucker, the boy who hated and harassed him since 3__rd__ grade._

_Tweek tried to act as though he didn't notice the dark haired boy, occupying himself with organizing the remaining items in his locker. A large hand reached around him, slamming the locker shut._

_"Well, good morning, Tweek," the taller boy said as he twisted Tweek around to face him._

_Looking away, Tweek meekly replied, "Please leave me alone."_

_Craig laughed a sarcastic snicker. "Now why would I want to do that?" He came in close. "You're so fun to screw with, Spazmoid." Tweek automatically twitched, a strange habit he had had since he was little._

_"Look at you, freak. Can't you stay still for two seconds?" Craig leaned over the blonde, a whopping 6'2 to Tweek's 5'4._

_Tweek turned away, a crimson blush in his cheeks. He grabbed for his green thermos in a pocket of his bag, hoping to calm himself down with the taste of sweet coffee. Craig noticed what the boy was grabbing for, and snatched the thermos before he could get to it. "You want this?" he teased, throwing the thermos on the ground._

_Tweek yelped, quickly reaching down to recover the fallen container. Craig shook his head, sighing. "You're such a freak," he said as he walked down the hall._

_Tweek looked up at the slender dark-haired boy, nearly in tears. Almost every day was like this since their fight in 3__rd__ grade. Craig seemed to hold an eternal grudge over Tweek, even though they both knew it was neither of their faults._

_Tweek knew he should confront Craig, make him stop this constant harassment, but he just couldn't allow himself. In truth, Tweek was deeply in love with Craig Tucker. He thought about him nearly every day and despite the abuse, remained hopeful that one day Craig would love him too._

_But Tweek wasn't stupid. He kept his crush a secret to everyone except his best friend Thomas. He knew that if anyone else found out, his life would become a living hell._

Tweek's POV

The night before our first day of 11th grade, I had Thomas over for a sleepover. This had become a tradition over the years; my best friend and I would spend the night at my house, watching movies, playing games, and getting ready for the school year ahead. It was a nice way to relax with Thomas as summer came to a close, but truthfully, this sleepover was a necessity. Without Thomas, I would have a full-blown panic attack.

"It's too much pressure!" I bleated, tugging on a lock of my shaggy blonde hair. Thomas and I sat cross-legged on my bed, attempting to select a movie to watch. "The first day determines the rest of the year! Oh god," I exclaimed, knitting my eyebrows together. "What if I can't find my classes or I forgot my coffee or I trip in the hallway-"

"It's fine, Tweeky!" Thomas cut off, pulling a thin arm reassuringly around my waist. "You've –_shit! -_ got this. And I'll be there too, so if anyone tried to mess with you I'll show them who's' boss! Nobody messes with the power squad." He punched the air Rocky Balboa-style. I laughed, knowing the short-haired blonde couldn't hurt a fly. He always knew how to calm me down.

"Besides," he continued, rolling onto his stomach. "It's –_damn! - _our third year of high school. We're pros at this game by now."

"I g-guess you're right." I laid my head down on my best friend's shoulder, my heart rate beginning to fall back to a steady pace. "I just…" I shook my head, erasing the thought before it could escape my mouth.

"You just what?" Thomas asked, looking up at me with his bright brown eyes.

I shrugged a little, pressing a pillow against my stomach. I said, "I don't know. I guess I-I just…hope things are different this year."

Thomas gave me a knowing smile. "With _him?_" he asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

I gave up, knowing I couldn't hide things from the nearly physic boy. Sighing, I replied, "Yeah, him. Sophomore year was pretty crappy. Craig seemed to hate me even more than before."

"He doesn't hate you, Tweek. He's just –_shit! – _the stubborn type. He thinks he has to prove something to people by messing with you, but I know he doesn't hate you. You just need to – _damnit! –_ approach him some time." Thomas smiled kindly and lifted himself off the bed. "Maybe if you just talked to him once in a while, you'd realize he totally likes you back."

I cringed, a deep crimson blush creeping onto my freckled cheeks. "He does not!" I cried. "God, if he knew I liked him, he'd kill me on the spot."

Thomas plopped back down on my bed and tousled my hair. "Puh-lease. That boy has secretly been giving you googly eyes since freshman year. You guys should just hook up already!"

"Hook…up?" I squeaked, burying my blushing face under my blankets. "Never! C-craig Tucker would never be with a spaz like me."

"Shut up," Thomas laughed, locking me in a bear hug. "You're no spaz. It's just the coffee, kid. Now seriously. This will – _shit! – _be you and Craig's year."

"Well…" I muffled from underneath my blanket barricade.

"Well, nothing!" Thomas exclaimed, a fire in his eyes. "You're one sexy kid and if you ask me, Craig doesn't deserve someone as awesome, sweet, and cute as you. So stop wallowing and get your man before it's too late!"

I peeked up at my short, blonde best friend. I guess he had a point. "Well…I guess you're right. Maybe this _is _my year!" I sat up, a smile forming across my lips. "Thanks, Thomas. You're the most awesome best friend ever."

Thomas sighed, a hand placed lovingly over his chest. "My little Tweek is finally becoming a beautiful butterfly!"

"That's so gay, dude!" I laughed, pushing the boy off the bed playfully.

"You would know!"

Maybe this year won't be so bad after all.


	2. Concrete Benches

1- Craig's POV

"…Bro, how can you not think she is hot?"

Clyde, surprise surprise, could not stop talking about Bebe's little 'transformation' over the summer. As we approached the bus stop, my brunette best friend would not shut up about his myriad of elaborate plans to hook up with Bebe, which, if history should repeat itself, will fail miserably, leaving Clyde pouty for days until he bounces back up over some new girl. The guy was a huge perv, but he really couldn't help it. I guess I couldn't blame him, though. Bebe did look pretty nice.

Over the summer, she had cut her wavy blonde hair into a short bob that suited her heart shaped face. Her skin was sun kissed by her recent trip to Cancun, and her, er…chest had increased a cup size or two since sophomore year. Not surprisingly, the boobs were Clyde's favorite part.

"…and then she'd totally want to bang me." Clyde lightly punched my arm, chuckling his signature chuckle. "Dude, are you even listening?"

"Yeah, Clyde. You're gonna sweep Bebe off her feet and do her." I rolled my eyes are my brown-eyed friend's perversion.

"Hell yeah! And I already know she's got a thing for me." He pulled a nauseating 'wink and point' pose.

"Whatever you say," I replied sarcastically.

He continued on, blissfully unaware of my apathy to the subject. "Yeah, remember that list the girls made in elementary school? Number one, right here!"

"That was years ago, moron. And the girls only made you number one so you would buy them shoes. But,hey, I'd do you," I said monotonously, looking ahead in the early September morning.

"Well, shucks, " Clyde said in a faux southern accent, fanning his face with a hand in a horrifyingly feminine way. I punched his arm lightly. "Dude!" I stuck my tongue out playfully at my best friend.

As we approached the bus stop, I noticed two petite blondes already sitting on the concrete bench. It turns out they were Thomas and Tweek.

Just my luck.

"Well, how's it going, ladies?" Clyde asked sarcastically as we approached the pair.

"Save it, man," Thomas said sternly, standing up. "Can't we at least be civil this year?"

Clyde laughed, towering nearly a foot over the brown eyed boy. "I don't know, Nancy. I might catch your crazy and start spouting curses like some gay lunatic."

"Oh, please. Be mature," Thomas retorted with a small hand on his hip. " It's called – _shit! – _Tourette's Syndrome."

Clyde laughed. "It's called 'shit Tourette's Syndrome?' Wow, cute name." He looked back at me, indicating he wanted me to join in.

Crap. I'd been hoping not to be included in this little confrontation. Strangely enough, I wasn't in the mood. "It's a disease, Clyde," I responded soundly. "He can't help it."

Clyde looked at me questioningly for a moment, but turned back to the stubborn blonde. "At least he can control himself, I guess." Clyde turned to the shivering blonde on the bench behind Thomas. "Well, hey there, Squeaky! What the matter?"

"Eek!" Tweek exclaimed, dropping his coffee thermos on the ground. Thomas quickly bent over and gathered the lime green container.

"Aw, I didn't mean to scare you, spazmoid." Clyde walked to the concrete bench and slung an arm over Tweek's shaking shoulders. "You want Craig over there to come over and kiss it better?" Tweek's cheeks sprang crimson. "Aw, look Craig! He's blushing! Gay boy must have a crush on you."

"Stop messing with – _shit! – _Tweek!" Thomas exclaimed, gathering the green-eyed boy in his arms.

"Whatever. Bye, fags!" Clyde called, and walked back to where I stood. He tried to spark conversation about the two blonde friends, but I only halfheartedly followed along. To be honest, I was getting bored of constantly harassing Tweek and Thomas. I used to not care, but now, I find Clyde picking on them to be annoying. How strange.

"Don't you ever get bored of that?" I asked Clyde once the bus had arrived and we sat in our spot in the back.

"Of what?" He asked blankly, looking up quickly from what appeared to be a text from Bebe.

"Of screwing with Tweek and Thomas, Clyde. Don't you think it's getting old?"

Clyde put down in his, his attention fully placed on me. Incredulously, he asked, "What's up with you, man? You used to hate those fags. You're getting soft." He rolled his eyes and placed his attention back to his phone.

"I'm not getting soft, Clyde. I just think you should let off a little." God, what was I talking about? I don't care about those guys. I'm Craig Tucker; the Apathetic. Besides, Tweek and I are enemies…right?"

"Dude, are you gay for them or something?" Clyde fake-gasped, clutching at his chest dramatically.

"Shut up, moron," I laughed.

* * *

"Alright, students! Welcome back to South Park High School. You should have already received your schedules in the mail and you will be given your textbooks in each of your classes. The bell for homeroom rings in 5 minutes, so until then, please find your lockers and prepare for your first day of classes, That is all." The principal's voice blared from the crappy intercoms as I sat down in my home room. I looked around, seeing who would now be joining me every morning.

Unfortunately, Clyde had been placed in the only other homeroom we had, which was just my luck, considering we went to a school with only 72 people in our class. Luckily for me, however, I had Token there, my other best friend. Those two are the only ones I ever really enjoy talking to.

I looked around, calculating the members of my homeroom. There was Stan, Kenny, Red, one of the goths, Jimmy, Cartman, and…Tweek.I stopped counting and cursed the stars for my bad luck. Out of all the people in the world, why him? God, if people found out the truth…

I shook the thought away, occupying myself with my schedule. I had Trigonometry with Mrs. Cloiterfield first. That was only a few doors down from my homeroom.

I zoned out automatically as the bell rang and Mr. Grater began to take attendance and make announcements. As soon as the bell rung, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and bolted out of the room to avoid confrontation with Tweek.

I stepped into the Trig room and took a seat near the back. I was one of the first to arrive so I had a chance to evaluate the teacher and my 1st period classmates as they walked through the door. Mrs. Cloiterfield seems like one of those generic old women, monotonous and strict. Whatever, I thought as people filed into the classroom. You can't expect life to be easy.

"Yes, man!" Clyde and Token exclaimed as they came in and crashed into the seats beside me.

"Perfect! Now, let me see your schedules," Token asked us, then looked them over carefully. " Let's see…2nd, no…3rd, no…4th…5th…no. Crap. But, hey, at least we have lunch and study hall together."

"Yes!" Clyde exclaimed optimistically, high-fiving us both.

We continued looking over our schedules until Clyde looked to the door, his jovial expression dropped. "Damn."

Tweek scurried in, clutching notebooks, papers, and his trusty lime green thermos. He looked around the room for any available seats. My shoulders sunk as I noticed the only seat left was the one directly in front of me.

He flushed and tried to discreetly sit down with us noticing. Clyde, however, took notice.

"Howdy, spazmoid!" He called, just as the bell rang. "What's a freak like you doing in here?" Tweek tried to hold in a squeak as Clyde poked his back with a pencil.

I poked Clyde on the cheek to shush him. "Do you really want us to get in trouble on the first day?" I hissed.

Clyde gave me a grumpy look but shut up and faced the teacher.

"Hello, class," Mrs. Cloiterfield drawled in a slow, old woman voice. "I'm Mrs. Cloiterfield and this is Trigonometry 1. Here, we'll be learning how to…" I zoned out as the woman drew diagrams and formulas on her outdated chalk board.

As the class wore on, I decided to check up on Tweek. I tapped him gently on the shoulder, hoping to avoid scaring him, which was incidentally very difficult. The green-eyed blonde yelped softly, but discreetly turned around to face me.

"Y-yes?" he whispered, eyes quivering.

"Can I see your schedule?"

"Uh, yes." He replied wearily, but frantically searched his bag until he pulled out a neatly fold sheet of paper and handed it to me. "H-here you go."

I nodded, mouthing 'thanks.' I looked over his classes; 1st period, obviously Trigonometry. 2nd period, Psychology, 3rd period, Literature, 4th period, Political Studies, 5th period, Music.

_Oh god,_

We shared _every single class together._

"Shit," I accidentally said allowed.

"What was that, Mr. Tucker?" Mrs. Cloiterfield asked, adjusting her hearing aid.

"Nothing, m'am. Just a cough." She nodded and returned to bounding chalk on her board.

"Dude, what was that?" Token whispered in concern, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I share all of my classes with Tweek," I responded coldly, looking forward at the small blonde's head. Clyde nearly fell out of his seat in an attempt to hold his laughter.

"That's bad luck, man. Good luck dealing with ol' spazzy all day."

I couldn't help but notice the hurt look in Tweek's large eyes as he clutched his schedule tightly.


	3. Cracks in a Perfect Statue

_Hey, readers. My name is Ari and thank you for taking the time to read my story. I'm sorry that the author's note is coming in so late. I've been so wrapped up in crap that I completely forgot to include it in the first chapter. But, hey, I'm here now, right?_

_Just a little thing about this story and I. I've been into South Park for about a year now, and Creek is by far my favorite pairing. I've been meaning to do a fanfic on them for a while now but I'm only just now getting to it. So far, I have ten chapters written in my handy dandy notebook and I'm working every night to type them up so I can update my story daily. The name is, as you may have noticed, _Just Like Heaven. _The title comes from my all-time favorite song of the same name by _The Cure. _I thought the name would be fitting, as I often associate it with Creek._

_Please enjoy and review! Any comments, tips, and requests are great and extremely helpful. I love you all!_

_~Ari  
_

* * *

2- Tweek's POV

_This year is going to be awful, _I thought to myself as I downed another cup of coffee. I had not eaten anything for dinner and I couldn't stomach food that morning, either. The fact that I was in all the same classes as Craig was way too much pressure! So many awful things could happen that would easily result in Craig hating my guts for the rest of my life.

If only I wasn't such a weakling, I could approach Craig and tell him how I feel. Or at the very least, we could become friends. But I had to be such a freak! I can't sit still for two seconds, while Craig is some kind of beautiful statue person. He's so amazing and I'm just some ugly spaz. We're polar opposites, but I just can't get myself to stop falling head over heels over him.

"It's no wonder he can't stand me," I told Thomas as we walked to the bus stop. "If I could just change my schedule, then maybe I'd have a chance."

"It's too late for -_ shit! - _that," Thomas replied, wrapping an arm around my waist. "This is totally a blessing in disguise. Now, since you're always around him, he'll have to talk to you. It's a golden opportunity, my friend. Don't waste it on your worries."_  
_

I sank my shoulders. "Oh god, but you weren't there, Thomas. You should have seen how angry he was when he first saw my schedule. He swore out loud and I could see how visibly pissed he was. Dude, it's so embarrassing! I can't stand to see him today. H-he...he hates me." I buried my face in Thomas's shoulder, trying to hide my embarrassment as we walked. It had only been the first day, but I could already tell how terrible the year would be.

"You know that's not true! I'll _- damnit!- _prove it to you once and for all." I looked up and saw a devilishly disturbing smile on Thomas's petite face.

"Oh, god. What are you planning?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, hun," he laughed and plopped me down on the bus stop bench. "Promise you won't freak out on me, but I'm going to have a little conversation with our friend Craig once he shows up."

"NO!" I shrieked, standing up. But once Thomas had that determined look in his eyes, nothing could get in his way. I whimpered halfheartedly and reluctantly sat back down. "Just...please don't embarrass me, okay? I've already had enough of that for the rest of my life."

"Don't worry, I won't embarrass you." The small blonde winked and hopped over to the approaching Craig Tucker, clad in his signature blue hat and pea coat. Surprisingly, Clyde was missing today. Perhaps he had slept in?

Though I could not hear their exchanged whispers from that distance, I could see how visibly excited Thomas was. He said something to Craig that made the tall boy blush. _Blush! _Oh sweet baby Jesus, it was too adorable. I sighed a little at the sight as I watched the inaudible conversation.

Craig nodded to something Thomas said, his blush deepening ever so slightly. He almost appeared embarrassed, which was just about as rare to see as the Loch Ness Monster. Thomas took on a serious expression and whispered something to Craig, who in turn paused for a moment, sighed, and reluctantly shook his head. He whispered something back to the shorter boy. Thomas smiled brightly and gave Craig...a hug? Damn, that literally never happens. What could have been going on over there?

The two exchanged a few more whispered words, Craig looking increasingly serious in stark contrast to Thomas's giddy aura.

Craig and Thomas started to head in my direction. I breathed in deeply with anticipation, expecting some kind of explanation. What the hell could Thomas have said to spark such a rare reaction? I mean, it's gotta take a lot to get apathetic Craig to do something like blushing. It takes a lot to get any reaction from him at all, really.

Thomas separated from the raven-haired boy, sitting down next to me on the concrete bench. "What just happened?" I whispered softly so as not to attract Craig's attention. He was, presently, staring bitterly at the side walk a little out of earshot.

Thomas shook his head and raised an index finger to his lips, indicating that this was some sort of secret. I sighed into my scarf, starting to shake nervously. I don't do well with things that cause pressure, especially secrets.

As the bus arrived, it occurred to me that Clyde was still missing. He was never one to be enthusiastic about school, but it seemed weird to be late for the second day. The guy was probably too lazy to get up this morning.

Thomas and I took our seats near the front of the bus. I sat down and, leaning in close, confronted my best friend once more about the conversation. "_Please _tell me, what did you and Craig talk about?"

"I'm not telling you," he teased, an evil glint in his eye.

I softly smacked his arm. "Come on, dude! You never keep secrets. You know I can't handle them."

Thomas winked. "You'll learn soon enough, Tweekers. Just be patient." He leaned in conspiratorially. "But I will say I've been right about Craig all along."

My eyes widened. "What do you mean?" He laughed and shook his head.

"You'll see."

* * *

"Let's sit over there!" Kenny suggested eagerly, steering Thomas and I to a long table in the library just before study hall. The jovial blonde and found us that morning before homeroom and had been catching up with us since.

I honestly really liked Kenny. Though the orange-clad boy could be loud and perverted at times, he was still fun to be around and a genuinely good person. Underneath the hood was a person who cared a lot about others and sought to help his friends in any way possible. He and Thomas were kind of similar in that aspect. Despite being Cartman's friend all throughout elementary school, he never once tried to hurt anyone and remained strangely introverted, always hiding within his hooded parka. As we aged, he shed the parka and separated from Cartman, eventually becoming one of the more popular guys who every girl (and a few guys) pursued.

He sat us down at the vacant table, and we were soon joined by Kyle and Stan.

"Guys!" Kenny called enthusiastically. "Over here!" The two best friends gladly sat down with us and we started to catch up on what we missed over the summer.

"So how are things?" I asked Stan and Kyle.

"Pretty good," Kyle replied, opening up a notebook. ""Did you hear what happened to Mr. Mackey?"

"No, what?" Thomas asked eagerly, leaning in the hear the news. He was a known fan of gossip.

"He got arrested for selling crack to minors or something like that," Stan replied, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't know he had it in him."

Kenny laughed. "Can you just picture him dealing in the streets?" He crossed his arms and imitated Mr. Mackey's drawl. "Now that will be $40 for 2 grams, mmmkay?"

We all laughed at the spot-on impression, until three new people suddenly sat down next to us. Those people happened to be Token, Clyde, and Craig.

"Hey, buddies!" Kenny greeted, giving Clyde a friendly pat on the back. "Come join us. The party's only just begun."

"I would hardly call study hall a party," Token said with a snort. "But it's great to see you guys again. Hi, everyone." We all waved back at the friendly dark-skinned boy.

"Hey Tweek and Thomas," Token greeted. "I haven't seen you guys around too much."

"H-hi," I squeaked, blushing from the sudden recognition.

"Aw, that's adorable!" Kenny exclaimed, reaching over the table to squeeze my pink cheeks. "You're like a cute lil' kitten." He winked before whispering, "You should totally come over to my place and let me make you blush for a different reason."

My eyes widened and I looked to Thomas for help. He shrugged and giggled, fueling my embarrassment. What a crappy best friend.

"Now Kenny, you're scaring him," Kyle chastised, poking the grinning blonde's cheek.

"Pssh, I bet he's getting hot right now," Clyde teased meanly. "Might even be hiding a little something under that sweater of his. Why don't you stand up and show us, spazzy?"

I gasped and hid myself behind Thomas, who finally spoke up. "He's just messing with you, Tweek."

I peeked over at Craig, and nearly fell out of my chair when I noticed him looking intently at me. He looked stern, almost...angry. I quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't notice my gaze.

"Yeah, don't listen to Clyde, Tweeky," Kenny continued, patting my arm. "But the offer is still on the table."

"Sorry, Kenneth," Thomas inserted. "Tweek is _-bitch!- _saving himself for someone else."

This time I really did fall out of my chair, drawing attention from neighboring tables. _What the holy hell?! _I thought angrily. Thomas knew to never bring stuff like that up! Once I had myself back together and firmly in a chair, everyone was staring at me with intrigued, disturbed, and amused expressions. "I-I'm not!" I protested, fire burning in my cheeks. _  
_

"Oooooh, who is it?" Stan asked, completely ignoring me. "What's his name?"

"How do you y-you know it's a guy?" I asked defensively.

"Oh, Tweek, honey," Kyle said, grabbing my hand softly. "We know you're gay. But it's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine," Token said sympathetically when he saw my mortified expression. I was thankful, as this was one conversation I seriously could not handle.

"Naw, Token! I wanna hear who the lucky guy is," Clyde protested, sneering at me.

"Yeah, who is it?" Craig asked quietly, looking intently at me still. This was the first time he had spoken up since sitting down with us.

I cringed, wanting to hide under the table. Or a rock. "Nobody!" I exclaimed, hiding my face behind the sleeves of my green sweater.

"You can trust us," Stan stated. God, he looked so genuine and kind I wanted to vomit or die. Why couldn't they understand that the guy I liked was sitting _right freaking across from me?!_

"Thomas, this is all your fault!" I hissed.

Thomas shrugged once more and with a laugh, said, "Sorry, Tweek. But how else was I going to get you to open up?"

I was about ready to kill myself with a pencil when I peeked once more and saw Craig blushing. I wondered again what he and Thomas had talked about this morning at the bus stop, if it had been the cause of this conversation now. Craig looked embarrassed, even a little sad. He turned away when he noticed my gaze.

He cleared his throat and addressed the group. "So, guys. Did anyone see the new episode of _Catfish _last night? Crazy shit right there."

Did Craig just save me from my humiliation? Something weird was definitely going on here.


	4. Crumbled Potato Chips

_Hello again, my beauties. It's Ari. I just uploaded chapter 2 and I figured, what the hell, let's write chapter 3! Hell yeah! This may not be the best idea, because I have a college visit with my brother tomorrow -.- I really hate those things. It's always really hot out and they make you take a long boring tour led by some tiny little preppy people who are way too excited about school. And the worst part? I'm a forking sophomore in high school. My mom makes me go to these things. _

_But_ enough_ about my issues! Please enjoy this chapter, as it should prove to be pretty interesting, if I do say so myself. Again, please read, review and let me know what you think._

_~Ari_

* * *

3- Craig's POV

The next morning, I was still thinking about my conversation with Thomas. Clyde took notice of my distraction as we made our way to the bus stop. "Craig, are you still mad at me for not walking with you to school yesterday?" Clyde asked. "I'm sorry, man. My alarm clock didn't go off."

I shook my head and said, "No hard feelings. I still love you."

"Aw, love you too, hotcakes!" My best friend pinched my cheek. "But what _is _on your mind? You've been acting really weird since yesterday."

"It's nothing. I'm just caught up in the new school year, that's all."

He nodded and we walked on in silence, which was pretty rare with Clyde. He loved to talk. Honestly, though, I was glad to have a moment to think. I wasn't sure what to do about Thomas and my agreement, how to carry it out without disturbing Clyde.

We arrived at the bus stop and again saw Thomas and Tweek sitting on the concrete bench together. "Hi Thomas. Hi Tweek." I paused, looking the small blonde in the eye. "How are you?"

As expected, he shuddered automatically and tugged on his long, messy hair. Taking a swig of his coffee, he said, "I'm fine, C-Craig. You?"

"I'm okay," I shrugged, trying to smile warmly.

Both Clyde and Thomas looked pretty damn shocked. I guess this is the first time Tweek and I had a conversation that didn't involve me teasing him in literally years. I felt bad, remembering all the shit I had put the boy through, and for what? Revenge? He had done nothing to offend me.

I promised myself that things would be different. I didn't know how or why, but I knew it had to be different.

* * *

"Today, class, we'll be starting a group project," the psychology teacher, Mr. Briggs, announced as the class filed in. "I will be putting each of you into groups of two and you will be writing a paper on the symptoms, causes, and effects of insomnia. Next class, you will be presenting your research so I suggest you get started as soon as possible.

"Also, as this is one of our first classes, I will be choosing your groups." An audible groan sounded through the classroom. "Now, now. I don't want you all working with your best friend. We should all get to know each other and little better." I sat back in my chair, bored with the subject. I already knew everything about insomnia, so it didn't matter how dumb my partner may be. I half listened as Briggs rang off the groups.

I risked a quick glance at Tweek, who was biting his nails nervously a few seats across from me. I suddenly realized how attractive he looked in profile. Kenny was right, he really did resemble a cat, with his delicately feline features. His nose had no curve, just a straight line on his face. His eyes were large and almond shaped, a light, nearly transparent green. He also had a pretty fabulous set of cheekbones. I thought about how nice it would be to draw him. If only I had my sketchbook with me...

"...Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak." I quickly pulled my gaze away as I heard Briggs call my name. Wait, did he just say I'm working with Tweek?

The blonde peered in my direction with a look of horror. To be honest, I was a little offended at the reaction. He didn't have to expression how blatantly he disliked me in front of everyone, but it occurred to me how awful I am to him. Okay, so maybe the reaction was a little justified.

"Now get with your partners to start your paper," Briggs said when he was finished calling names. "Use your book, people! Wikipedia is not an acceptable source."

I sighed and made my way over to where Tweek sat. "Hey," I greeted, trying to break the tension. "Okay, I know a lot about insomnia so this won't be that bad." I paused a second. "You don't have to look at me like I'm going to murder you or something."

He gasped and averted his eyes. "N-no! I wasn't thinking that a-at all." He gulped, eyes closed. "Uh...I-I know a lot about insomnia, too. I, uh, have it, actually."

"Me too. Can we do it at your house?" I asked, met again by a shocked look and a sputter.

He recovered quickly. "S-sure. That's cool. You w-want to come over tonight? I-it's okay if you can't, I can just start it myself or-"

Cutting him off, I said, "It's okay Tweek. Tonight sounds good. I'll come over at around 5, okay?"

"Sure."

"Good," I said, giving the blonde a reassuring smile. "Now let's get started on this thing."

* * *

I sat down for lunch with Clyde and Token. I dug halfheartedly into my turkey sandwich, and said nonchalantly, "So I have to go over to Tweek's house tonight for a project."

Token nodded in between bites of pasta. "What's it for? Psychology?"

"Yeah."

Clyde gave me one of his grumpy looks and threw his bags of potato chips on the table. "What's happening to you, Craig?"

I raised an eyebrow quizzically at this sudden outburst. "What are you talking about?"

He shook his head angrily in full blown pout mode. "You're changing, and I don't like it. You used to hate that Tweek guy, and now all you do is talk about him. And now, with this project thing, you're acting all buddy-buddy and going to his house? You would have laughed at the idea a week ago! It's like you're forgetting who your best friend is!"

"Calm down, man," I said, putting a hand on his arm. "Nothing's changed. I'm not trying to ignore you or anything. You're my best friend forever, you know that.

"But let's face it; it's time to grow up. Tweek and Thomas don't deserve to get picked on."

"I can't believe you," Clyde scoffed. "I'm getting tired of you always talking about that son of a bitch. What about the three of us? You, me, and Token?"

"It's okay, Clyde," Token inserted. "Things change, but we'll always be the three amigos. Isn't that right, Craigifer?"

"Right," I nodded, smiling at Token thankfully.

Clyde calmed back down, back to his usual jolly mood. "Now, you guys will _not _believe what Bebe sent me during second period!"

I laughed. If there was one thing to be thankful about, it was that Clyde got over anger as fast as a bipolar toddler.


	5. Tugging Your Hair

_Ahoy there, maties. It's Ari here, welcoming you aboard the S.S Chapter 4!_

_Holy shit, that sounded stupid. Please ignore that. _

_Anyway, I hope you guys are having a lovely day. I figured I'll share a little something-something about myself, in case anyone is interested. As you know, my name is Ari and I'm a sophomore in high school. I'm really tall and pale, which I used to hate but I've grown to love. I like cats and guinea pigs because they're awesome. My hobbies includes writing, drawing, reading, and acting. I have a pet bird named Tweek, even though she's a girl. I'm very nonathletic and I run like a sloth with a broken foot. I love to sing even though I'm really bad at it and I've never broken any bones. I also have the rarest blood type in the world, AB negative. _

_Yep. That about sums it up. Whelp, enjoy and review!_

_~Ari_

* * *

4- Tweek's Pov

"I can't believe we only have music and literature together," I griped to Thomas over the phone that afternoon. I was cleaning my room in preparation for Craig's arrival.

"I know, right?" Thomas replied sullenly. "It totally sucks. But don't forget study hall."

I balanced my phone against my shoulder and ear as I reached up to dust the high shelf of my bookcase again. "That's true...god, I c-can't believe it's only Wednesday and Mr. Briggs has already assigned a project." I rearranged the books in alphabetical order on the newly- dusted shelves.

"Oh, yeah. You were telling me about that. Something about insomnia, right?"

"Yep," I replied as I wiped down my mirror. "It's pretty lucky that I should get that topic. I'm practically an expert on not sleeping."

Thomas laughed. "All highschoolers are, Tweekers. Who's your partner, anyway?"

I stopped cleaning. "Craig."

There was a brief pause, until Thomas suddenly shouted, "What?!" I jumped, nearly falling down. "Why didn't you say - _shit! - _so, dipwad? And he's coming over to your house?"

"Well, yes. Tonight."

"Well smack me in my tender butthole, you are one lucky boy! You should have him stay for dinner."

"Gosh, are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked timidly, tugging on my hair. "I don't want to be overbearing..."

Thomas laughed, cutting me off. "Of course it's a good idea. I thought of it. But you really - _bitch!- _ should get to know Craig better, because Lord knows he wants to know you..."

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," my best friend said teasingly. "Well, gotta go, bye!"

"What?" I asked frantically. "No! I need you!" But the call had already ended. Thomas was such an ass sometimes.

I sighed and checked my phone for the time. 4:53! Oh god, too much pressure! Craig would be here in 7 minutes! I rushed to finish my room and looked for my mother.

I found her in the living room, watching Oprah. "Hey mom? You know that project I have to do?" I asked tentatively.

Mom looked up at me and smiled. "Yes, dear. Isn't your partner supposed to be here soon?"

"Y-yes. Uh, is it okay if he stays for dinner?"

* * *

The doorbell rang a few minutes after 5 o'clock. I jumped up from my bed and scrambled to the front door. My mother, however, beat me to it.

"Why, hello, Craig!" My mother greeted in her warm voice, pushing her light brown hair behind an ear.

"Hey, Mrs. Tweak," he replied with a lopsided smile.

"Is sure has been awhile. Say, you're here for the project, right?Why, Tweek here has been getting the house ready for you for the past two hou-"

I cut her off and pulled Craig in the doorway before my mother could embarrass me further. "Well, we better get started! Bye, mom!" I called as I quickly led Craig to my room. I gulped, feeling a blush come on. "I'm s-sorry about my mom."

The dark-haired shrugged. "She's nice."

We went into my room and Craig sat down on my bed, pulling his textbook out of a bag. I froze, the sudden realization that _Craig Tucker, _my lifelong crush, was sitting on my bed striking me like a shock of lightning.

I attempted to pull myself together. "W-well, let's get started, right?"

He nodded, silently pulling out a laptop and started a document. "Like I said before, I know a lot about insomnia, so we really don't need the book."

I nodded, once again tugging my hair nervously. "Me too. Since I have it, I've s-spent a lot of time researching the subject."

Craig replied, "I've had insomnia since 5th grade." He paused, staring at me for a moment. "I thought you broke that habit years ago."

I cocked my head, confused. "What a-are you talking about?" I asked cautiously. This could be another trap to mock me.

He stood up and walked towards me. He pointed to my fingered intertwined through my shaggy blonde locks. "Pulling your hair," he explained. "I haven't seen you do that in years."

I stepped back in shock, digging my fingers further into my scalp. Craig actually _noticed _me? And such a meaningless quirk like tugging my hair? I was so confused. He looked so concerned, like he actually cared about what I did to myself.

Craig sat back down on my bed, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just something I noticed."

I peered at him throw my lashes. "I...didn't k-know you noticed me."

He gazed at me, unblinking. "Why wouldn't I notice you, Tweek?"

I blushed like crazy, my cheeks fiery hot. "I j-just..." I choked on my words. "Don't you _hate me?_"

I expected him to laugh at me, try to embarrass or make fun of me, but he just looked confused. "That's what I thought, too."

My memory flashed back to our fight in third grade, the start of our rivalry. At the time, I knew I should have hated Craig with all I had. For all I knew, he hated me back, made fun of me, called me names. But I couldn't. I fought him because I had to, we hurt each other so terribly, but through it all I could never hate him. Over the years, this emotion expanded beyond unhate, to affection. It grew from there, like a seedling. I figured this whole time, Craig must have hated me, but could I be wrong? What would that mean for us?

For once, I stood still as a statue, trying to think of a way to respond.

Instead, Craig stood back up. "We should start over," he said softly. "Let's be friends." With a small smile, he extended his hand.

I gazed incredulously into his deep green eyes, such a unique and beautiful color, unlike my own. The boy in front of me had always been a like a dream, one I hoped to never wake up from. Now, finally, my dream was sprouting into some kind of reality. This moment here, this was what I had always hoped for; a fresh start. It was possible, I could finally change things. This was it.

I smiled broadly at the raven-haired boy in front of me, taking his strong hand in my own and shaking it. I responded, "Yes. I would like that very much."

Craig laughed, a truly happy one as opposed to his usual cynical chuckle. "Good," he said. "Now, let's do this damn paper."


	6. I'll See You In Hell

_I'm horny._

_~Ari_

* * *

5-Craig's POV

Thursday morning, I walked with Clyde to the bus stop as usual. My brown-haired best friend was back to his usual blissful mood. He was presently informing me on Mega Death Tron III, which he had recently purchased, and how it was monumentally superior to the previous two Mega Death Trons.

"Trust me, man," Clyde said, a hand on my shoulder. "It's a born classic."

I nodded apathetically in agreement. "Whatever you say. I haven't bought it yet, though."

Clyde faux gasped. "You _have _to buy it! I swear to Allah, those graphics are the shit."

"Yeah," I agreed. "The ad made it look pretty realistic."

I was happy that Clyde's mood had improved so much since his little tantrum the day before. Like I said before, the guy recovered fast. We reached the bus stop, greeted by the now familiar sight of Tweek and Thomas. Clyde's happy expression dropped like an anchor, but he refrained from picking on the two small blondes. He instead pulled out his phone and absorbed himself into whatever image lay on the tiny screen.

I turned to the Tweek and Thomas. "Morning, guys."

Thomas smiled back and enthusiastically replied, "Good morning, Craig!" He leaned in conspiratorially. "So how did things go yesterday?" He winked subtly at me, making sure Tweek didn't notice.

I stared back, ignoring the gesture. Thomas must have been so happy with himself, as he had this whole plan laid out which last night fit so perfectly into I had a feeling he had bribed Mr. Briggs into putting Tweek and I together. I brushed off the feeling, and said, "It went well, didn't it, Tweek?"

Tweek, who had previously been attempting to hide in the folds of his forest green scarf, twitched slightly and blushed his signature crimson. "Y-yeah. The project is finished now and I think i-it turned out pretty good."

"Right," I responded with a small smile. "You did a great job." I sat down next to him on the bench, much to the surprise of Thomas and Clyde. "I'm glad we had that talk last night."

Thomas's eyes widened. "Talk? Oh, you 'talked' about something, eh? What happened? Tell meeee!" he squealed.

Tweek made a little squeaky noise and hid himself back in the folds of his scarf. "Uh, well, w-we...made up, I guess." He looked up at me for approval.

Thomas looked like he was about to crap his pants or something. "So we're all friends now?" When I nodded, he yelled, "Woohoo!"

I peeked at Clyde, who was still engrossed in his phone but clearly listening in on the conversation. He looked very confused and pretty pissed off.

* * *

Before first period, I stood at my locker packing my backpack for the day. I suddenly felt a strange aura radiating from behind me. I turned to see an extra grumpy Clyde, looking like he was ready to light something (or someone) on fire.

"What's with this whole 'making up' thing with Tweek?" he snapped, his face red.

I sighed. "Look, last night I told him that I wanted to be friends, so now we are. Is that a problem?"

Clyde's nostrils flared. "Yeah, it's a problem! Why are you suddenly so into that loser? You used to hate him and now look at you! You're like best friends with that fag. What about me, your best friend, Craig?"

"One, don't call him a fag. And can't I have more than two friends? I love you guys, but there's nothing wrong with Tweek or Thomas. And yet you're acting like the king of assholes, even though we're already in 11th grade. You need to grow up."

"Don't call me an asshole, you asshole! All you ever do anymore is talk about spazmoid and I'm getting fucking sick of it. What do you even want with those homos?"

I slammed my locker shut and turned to Clyde fully. I was really getting pissed now. "Really? You're acting like a self-centered ass bag. Well, guess what? Not everything is about you twenty four-fucking-seven. You don't control who I'm friends with so just shut up and get over yourself!" I lifted up both hands to give him the middle finger, keeping them up as I pushed past him to get to Trig. I could feel my cheeks burning with anger. God, Clyde could be such a douche.

I sat down at my desk, slamming my bag on the table violently. A few people turned to me to see what was going on, and I made sure to display my favorite finger to them all. I could't blame them, though. I literally never lose my temper, but god, Clyde can be such an idiot!

Token turned to me with a concerned expression. "What happened, Craig?"

"Clyde is a self-centered douche!" I snapped.

Token laughed, shaking his head. "What else is new?" he joked.

I suddenly heard the door slam open. I turned to see Clyde storm through the door and a seat on the opposite side of the room of me. He made a show of not looking at me, like some attention seeking five year old.

I seethed quietly through the rest of the class. Screw Clyde. My friends are my choice, and he had no business choosing them for me. What was he, my mother? I vowed to myself to kill Clyde later in a way that would look like an accident. Perhaps he could 'accidentally' trip down the stairs and break his neck. Or get gouged in the eye with a pencil a billion and one times? I chuckled evilly, drawing Token's attention.

He leaned over hesitantly, and whispered, "You're really scaring me, man."

* * *

I finally breathed freely when the bell rang to signify the end of first period. During class, both Tweek and Token seemed to feel my furious aura and often glanced in my direction to make sure I wouldn't explode. Now, finally, I could sit through a whole class without having to be in the same room as Clyde. I honestly loved the guy like a brother, but when someone triggers my angry side, they aren't getting out unscathed.

I entered the Psychology room, early as usual. I finally relaxed and started doodling in one of my notebooks. I often draw to calm myself down. The feeling of bringing life to something with just your hand and a pencil was just so satisfying to me.

I roughly sketched a picture of my old guinea pig, Stripe. Ever since he died, almost all my pictures were of him. I shaped his little black nose as precisely as possible and feathered in his grey fur until I was satisfied that the sketch was in reasonable likeness of my pet.

The bell rang as I drew. Looking up, I noticed Tweek had yet to come into the classroom. That was strange. Tweek had never been later to a class before.

I decided to wait a few minutes, sure that the blonde had just gone to the bathroom or something. After ten minutes, I started to worry. Something was wrong.

I raised my hand. "Mr. Briggs?"

The middle-aged, balding teacher turned away from the board. "Yes, Mr. Tucker?" he asked impatiently.

"Can I get a hall pass? I have to use the restroom." He gestured for me to go. I grabbed a pass off the back wall and exited the room.

I decided to just check the hallways to see if Tweek had stopped at his locker or something like that, though I knew that was unlikely. The guy was really organized and never would forget a book. It was certainly out of character for him to just disappear in between classes. He was such a nervous kid, with fears that if he was late for a single class he would flunk out of school an become a homeless crackhead.

I suddenly heard talking by a row of lockers. I walked carefully to the sound, quietly hiding behind a wall to investigate.

In the hallway, I saw Clyde and Tweek.

Clyde has Tweek pressed against a locker, holding him back with a meaty fist. "Get out of my life," I heard Clyde say before slamming Tweek against the locker. The smaller boy grimaced in pain. Clyde went on. "And stay away from my best friend. You hear me, fag? Or do I have to tell you again?" He grabbed the smaller boy's collar in emphasis.

Tweek squeaked, his eyebrows knitted together. "N-no! I understand, C-Clyde. Please don't hurt me!"

I ran over to the pair before Clyde could touch him again. "What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at Clyde, pushing him away from Tweek. I grabbed his collar. "Don't you _ever _try to hurt Tweek again!"

Clyde pushed me back, harder. "I'm so done with you, man! You've changed. I missed the old you, my best friend. Well, screw you and your little boyfriend. Go to hell!"

I brandished my middle fingers as he stormed off.

"See you there!"


	7. Parasites

_It's raining really hard tonight. It literally just started two seconds ago and now it's like buckets. That's okay, though. I really like rain. _

_So anyhoo, I can't decide whether to do a Homestuck cosplay or a South Park cosplay next. I'd either go as John Egbert or Craig, and I'll have to assemble a group. I'm really conflicted right now because I love both. I guess I could really just do both but I have no money. Poo bags._

___I'm getting my hair re-dyed and cut tomorrow. Please pray to God, Allah, Mel Gibson, or whoever you believe in to make sure it isn't screwed up (again)_

_Well, please enjoy this chapter! Here, things are just starting to heat up ;) Again, please review, favorite, follow, all that good stuff. Anything is appreciated._

_~Ari_

* * *

6- Tweek's POV

I stood in utter shock, watching the scene unfold before me; Craig and Clyde, best friends, fighting because of me. Because I just had to get into their business.

Clyde stomped away as Craig gave him the finger. He turned to me, the anger in his dark green eyes replaced with sadness and concern. "I can't believe him," Craig whispered to himself. Then to me, he said, "Oh god, are you hurt? What did that ass do to you, Tweek?"

I turned away, embarrassed. "It's nothing. He just cornered me after class."

"No, that's not nothing. Look, you have a bruise on your cheek." Craig reached forward and gently touched my face on the swelling mark. I cringed automatically at his touch. "I'm sorry," Craig apologized, pulling his hand back. "Did that hurt?"

I shook my head and tried to smile. "No. I'm really okay. I'm fine, I-"

Craig shook his head, cutting me off. "I'm taking you to the nurse's office." He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to follow him. As I walked beside the 6'2 boy, I thought about all that Clyde had just told me. How I'm ruining his and Craig's friendship.

"You're some sick parasite!" he had said. He was right, though. I'm so stupid! I'm so selfish and idiotic and foolish for thinking I could ever be close to Craig. I always do this, I always screw everything up for everyone else.

"Woah, what's wrong?" Craig turned to me, grasping my shoulders. I had started crying, like some infant. "Please don't cry, " he said softly. "Does something hurt?"

I tried to pull myself together, to stop crying like an idiot in front of Craig. God, why is this happening with him of all people? "No, it's o-okay,it's-" I couldn't control myself and burst into full throttle tears. "I'm so stupid!" I said between sobs. "I'm ruining your friendship with Clyde and it's so foolish of me to think w-we could be friends. I'm...just some parasite who ruins things for others! I'm so s-sorry Craig. Please forgive me. I-I promise I'll stop bothering yo-"

I stopped, suddenly feeling Craig's arms around me. He wrapped me in a tight hug, his head resting on top of my own. I could feel my heart beating through my chest as we simply stood there, right in the middle of the empty hallway, intertwined. I could smell his shampoo from this close, the closest I had ever been to him since our fight so long ago. I was shocked, unsure of what to do.

I closed my eyes, breathing in this moment of silent intimacy that I had only dreamed of for so long. We stood there, just like that for what couldn't have been longer than a minute but felt like a lifetime. Finally, Craig spoke up. "Please stop thinking that way," he whispered into my hair. "You are not a parasite. You're a nice, strong, good-willed, lovely person who does not deserve to be treated like shit." He paused a moment, sighing. "I'm...I'm sorry I bullied you for all these years. I was stupid and immature, but maybe now I can at least try to make it up to you."

I felt my heart clench, but I did not dare move, lest this hug should end. "Don't apologize, Craig," I whispered back. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Yes, I have! I hurt you and embarrassed you for years and I can never take that back. But it's over now. I'll never hurt you again, I promise." He pulled my chin up, making me look at him. "Listen, Tweek. You deserve happiness. You shouldn't put up silently with harassment from others, but you're important. You matter."

I blinked, unable to respond. What was even happening? I felt like I was in a high school drama, or maybe an over the top fanfiction written by an introverted teenager in their room at 3 am. Something like that.

I could help but think of how sexy Craig looked with that heartfelt expression, and it was aimed at me! This was all too much for me to handle, and I could feel it taking its toll on me. Things started to go dark.

* * *

_Ugh. _

I woke up feeling very achy. My head was clouded as I tried to sit up. Where was I? I looked to my side and saw Craig sitting next to me. He smiled.

"Wh...What happened?" I muttered, rubbing my head.

"You passed out," Craig responded. Oh yeah. I blushed as I remembered that embarrassing moment. First I cry in front of Craig, and then I faint? Craig continued. "You're in the nurse's office now. I didn't know what to say so I told her you fell down the stairs. Sorry about that."

I paused, trying to shake off the lingering sleepiness. "Wait, how long has it been?" I asked frantically. "O-oh god, I'm keeping you from Psychology! Crap, and we have the presentation today! We'll miss it and it's all my fault, and then we'll fail the c-class and become homeless crackheads-" I laid back down, the pressure causing me to feel light-headed once again.

"Don't worry, Tweek," Craig assured, looking calm. "We'll be fine, so just relax. You've only been out for a few minutes, so class has only been in for like 20 minutes by now.

"The nurse wanted me to go back to class, but I refused. I told her I was staying with you." He blushed a little. "You know, so you can get back to class without fainting again." He said this uncharacteristically fast.

Smiling, I said, "Wow. T-thanks, Craig." Honestly, I was stunned. Why would he want to stay with me? It's not like I was dead or anything. Geez, he really must care. "Y-you didn't have to do that, really." I said quietly, but I was really happy. Nobody would ever do something as thoughtful as that for me. Except for Thomas, of course.

Before Craig could respond, the nurse, a young pretty woman with brunette hair, came into the small room and gave me a warm smile. "Are you feeling better, hun? That must have been quite a fall."

I nodded. "Y-yes. I feel much better now, thank you."

Craig stood up. "That's good." He turned to the nurse. "Should I take him back to class now?"

"Sure," she responded. "Go ahead. He seems to have recovered now. But," she turned to me. "If you start to feel ill again, come right back here and I'll call someone to take you home."

"I will." I stood up carefully, rubbing my head. "Thank you very much."

As Craig and I left the nurse's office, something rather frightening occurred to me. "Craig?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"H-how did you get me to the nurse's office?"

Craig turned his face away, but I could see he had a faint blush on his usually apathetic face. "Well, I...I carried you."


	8. Sexy Dark Knight

_You know what? I only write at night, when I'm tired and not in the mood. Why do I do this? Well, sorry about this, especially for the strange author's notes I write. _

_Whelp, let's talk about movies. I don't know if I've said this yet or not, but Blades of Glory is my favorite movie ever, hence the reason Tweek likes it so much. (Has that come up yet? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to check. Sorry.) I like to put a little piece of myself into my characters so I feel more natural when writing dialogue. I also really liked Rise of the Guardians. Jack Frost is my bruh. And My Neighbor Totoro is adorable. What about you guys? Are there any movies you're into? _

_This chapter doesn't have way too much happening, but it leads up to chapter 8, which is where things start to spice up a bit. So, do not fear! Tomorrow I'll have a nice, tension-filled chapter for you to feast your eyes upon._

_As always, please enjoy, review, follow, and favorite. I love each and every one of you. (Yes, you too. You, with the glasses. You're one sexy piece of ass.)_

_~Ari_

* * *

7-Craig's POV

The rest of the day went by in a haze of awkward tension. Tweek was taking the whole 'carrying him to the nurse' thing a lot harder than I had originally expected. I mean, I knew he wouldn't take it too well. He was Tweek, he often did overreact to things like this so I was hesitant to tell him. But he _had _asked, so I figured lying about it wouldn't help anything. Needless to say, every time I tried to talk to Tweek he would start pulling his hair, twitching, or blushing and try to get away from me. It was a bit of a bruising on the ol' ego and hella embarrassing, to say the least.

When the bell rung for study hall that afternoon, I decided that was as good a time as any to try and apologize. I followed Tweek out of the Music room, risking a tap on his shoulder to get his attention. As I had presumed, he flinched and tried to run away from me, but I caught him by grabbing his thin wrist.

"Tweek, please listen to me," I pleaded when I finally had a good hold on the green-eyed boy. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. I just didn't know any other way to get you to the nurse quickly. You had hit your head on the ground pretty hard, you know? I couldn't just leave you there. Please forgive me. I...just did what I thought was best for you."

Tweek looked down at my hand, still wrapped tightly around his slender wrist. I quickly released my grip, apologizing yet again. Would I ever stop being such an idiot around him?

Tweek blushed a light pink, his eyes shining with worry. "N-no! I should apologize!" he shouted quickly, wringing his hands. "I-I...I inconvenienced you, Craig. You shouldn't have to do something as b-burdensome as _carry me__! _I'm sorry I'm acting ungrateful, but I really am glad you d-did it."

I smiled, shaking my head. Of course Tweek would be more concerned with my burden than his safety. He really never put himself an his feelings into consideration. He was so selfless, one of the things I both liked and disliked about him. "It's okay. It was no trouble for me at all, and I'm just glad to have helped. But we should get to study hall before we're late."

"Oh!" Tweek exclaimed, making a mad dash for the library. I tried to keep up, but fell easily behind, even with my long legs. The kid sure could run fast.

When we I arrived, I noticed Clyde, the King of Ass Hats, was not at our usual table with Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Token, and Thomas. Instead, he opted for a table on the opposite end of the room with Butters, Bebe, Wendy, and the other girls. When he saw me come in, he grimaced and turned to his table mates, most likely gossiping about how much of a douche I am. I made sure to put up both middle fingers as I made my way to my table, even though the brunette refused to acknowledge the gesture.

"What's up with him?" Kenny asking, nodding towards the pouty Clyde across the room.

Sighing, I answered, "He was a problem with me being friends with other people, especially Tweek. He attacked him this morning during second period."

"Woah, what?" Thomas cried angrily, standing up quickly from his chair. "Tweek, how could you _- shit!- _not tell me this?!" He turned away from his best friend, directing his anger at Clyde. "I'll kill that bastard!" He tried to charge at him, but Kenny and Token easily restrained the smaller boy.

"Stop!" Kenny commanded, pulling Thomas back to his chair. "He's not worth it." His face still red in fury, Thomas sat back down.

Token turned to Tweek. "Are you okay?" he asked kindly, moving closer to examine the nervous boy. "You have a bruise on your cheek."

"It's fine, " Tweek whispered, not very convincingly. "I'm okay." He put a hand over the bruise and tried to smile.

Kyle stood up, the anger visible on the short-tempered redhead. "It's not okay!" he yelled violently. "You know why Clyde did it? Because he's homophobic. Just like Cartman."

Stan nodded. The noirette looked much calmer than his friend but still visibly pissed. "I can't believe that asshole. I've heard him call Tweek and Thomas 'fags' for years."

Kyle grunted, looking sullenly at the big brunette across the room. "I hate people like that." He and Stan looked at each other for a moment, seeming to have a conversation with their eyes. Their anger turned, surprisingly, to sadness as they made their nonverbal exchange.

"Poor Tweek!" Thomas cried, wrapping his best friend tightly in his arms. "I'm so _-bitch!- _sorry I wasn't there to help you." He looked up hesitantly. "But...what _did _happen?"

Tweek blushed, tugging on a clump of his unruly blonde hair. "W-well, I guess Clyde saw me after Trigonometry and grabbed my arm. He told m-me to stay away from Craig but...I s-said we were already friends. He got really a-angry and he, well, uh, slammed me into a locker and hit me." He looked down, hurt still visible in his light green eyes. "He t-told me I was a parasite. After that, Craig showed up and stopped him." Tweek looked at me and smiled his small, gentle smile. "H-he even carried me to the nurse when I fainted."

Everyone around the table looked at me with astonishment. I instinctively flipped them off, immediately regretting the action. "Wow, Craig," Kenny nodded, patting me on the back. "I'm surprised. You're like a knight. A dark, sexy knight."

"It was nothing," I shrugged.

Token looked at me from where he sat, then looked at Clyde. "Look, Craig," he said seriously. "I know it's hard for you to understand Clyde sometimes and trust me, I know he can be really terrible, but he's our friend. He's loves you and he feels lonely when you're not paying attention to him all the time. It's just the way he is. If we give him time to calm down, he's sure to get over himself and come back. He just misses his best friend."

I nodded. "Yeah, Toke. I know. But... he's so goddamn _stubborn, _you know? And selfish, and stupid. He has no rule over me and who I choose to be friends with." I smiled kindly at Tweek and Thomas. "No matter what he says or does, Tweek and Thomas are my friends now and he'll just have to get used to it."

"Wow," Token replied slowly, a grin on his face. "I've never seen you be so adamant about something before. Usually you're so neutral." He reached over to tap my cheek. "I like this side of you, man."

"Thanks," he responded. "I think I'll be showing this side more often. I guess Clyde's right about one thing; I am changing."

I sat back down, an idea forming in my head. "Hey, Tweek?" I said suddenly, causing the hyper blonde to jump. "Would you and Thomas like to come over to my house tomorrow night?"


	9. I Like You, Okay?

_I've had a few people ask about the shortness of my chapters. I just want to formally apologize, and I'll try to lengthen up these bad boys as much as I can. I have a problem with writing detailed stories, so I'm trying to make up for this with frequent updates. Please forgive me!_

_The story will be progressing a little more from this chapter forward. Please beware; there will be some lemony goodness gradually showing up within future chapters so if you're not into that, you might wanna skim over this stuff. But this has an M rating, so I'm sure y'all were expecting this. _

_I'm just going to apologize now for my awkwardness in writing makeout scenes and the like. It might be cringe-worthy because I suck at that business. _

_God, all I'm doing is apologizing today, huh? Sorry for that, too._

_Favorite, Review Follow, you know the drill. Again, I love you all._

_~Ari_

* * *

8- Tweek's POV

Thomas grasped my hand impatiently. "Come on, man! You _-bitch!- _have to do this."

It was Friday night, and Thomas and I were standing right outside Craig Tucker's freaking house, and oh god, this was too much pressure! His door was _right there _but I was too scared to even come close in proximity, let alone knock. I've never even seen the inside of Craig's house before.

"I _c-can't _do this!" I tried to whisper, but it turned into more of a shriek. "This isn't a good idea. L-let's just go home-"

"You're not backing out of his, Tweek!" Thomas argued persistently. He tugged my arm harder, trying to get me to the door, but I held back. "This is a huge step in getting closer to Craig."

Before I could even try to protest, Thomas rang the door bell himself. I started to hyperventilate, looking for somewhere to hide. But before I could get behind a bush, the door opened, revealing Craig. His raven black hair hung in his eyes, damp from a shower, and he wore only a black t-shirt and a pair of boxers. I couldn't even pretend to hide my blush. Seeing Craig like this, looking all wet and sexy, resulted in blood rushing somewhere else down below, if you catch my drift. I tried to casually pull down my sweater, but god, it was probably so obvious.

"Sorry about this," Craig apologized, gesturing at his clothes, or lack thereof. "You're here a little earlier than I expected, but come in." He stepped out of the doorway and led us into his living room. It was surprisingly nice, decorated in shades of beige and Victorian-style furniture. In the center of the room, was a large brown leather sofa in front of a flat screen television. The tan walls were decorated in sophisticated paintings and family portraits. "My family is out for the night so we have the house to ourselves."

"Cool!" Thomas exclaimed, checking out the house. "This is a pretty nice place, don't you think, Tweekers?"

"Yeah," I answered quietly, pulling my sweater down further and avoiding eye-contact with the barely clad Craig.

"Anyway," Craig continued. "I've got some popcorn and I was thinking we could watch a movie. How does _Blades of Glory _sound?"

"That's Tweek's favorite movie!" Thomas replied happily, winking at me.

Craig, looking a bit surprised, turned to me. "Really? I didn't know you liked that kind of thing. It's actually my favorite, too."

"That's cool," I said. Well, lookie here. We actually have something in common.

"Are you okay?" Craig asked, an eyebrow cocked. I realized out strange I must have looked, sucking on my bottom lip and pulling down my sweater until it almost touched my knees.

"Y-yes. I'm just tired."

Craig shrugged, not thoroughly satisfied with my lackluster answer. But, pretty soon we had popcorn prepared and the movie in the DVD player. Craig, Thomas, and I gathered on the large sofa in the middle of the living room, turning off the light and draping ourselves in a big fuzzy blanket. I sat in the middle, sandwiched between Thomas and Craig.

Feeling Craig's warmth pressed against me like that made the movie even better.

* * *

As the credits rolled, Craig leaned back and yawned, stretching his long pale arms. "That was great!" he commented happily, turning the television off. "I love that movie." He pulled a face, imitating Will Farrell. "Are you an official here? Because you've officially given me a boner."

"Oh, yeah," Thomas said, laughing. He stood up. "What are lady lumps anyway?" he imitated.

"I don't know, but they sound provocative." Craig grabbed hold of his chest, parodying a sexy pout.

We all laughed, and I threw some popcorn at the two. "Hey!" they shouted in unison. Thomas jumped on my lap, sticking his tongue out at me. "You're such a meanie!"

Craig chuckled once more. "Well, you guys wanna see my room?"

"Oooooh, yes!" Thomas hopped off my lap, grabbing both of our hands. "Let's go!"

Craig's room was a lot different from what I was expecting. Like the rest of the house, it was large and finely decorated, but with a personal touch. Craig was such a serious, quiet, and apathetic person that I thought his room would be a reflection of that. I was expecting bare walls, generic furniture, maybe a family portrait on his desk, and very neat.

But instead, I was greeted by a room fit for an artist. It was actually quite messy, with clothes, papers, and the like scattered throughout the place. The walls were filled from top to bottom with band posters, Christmas lights, mardi gras masks, and beautiful sketches. "Wow," I breathed.

"I know, right?" Thomas agreed, checking out the walls. "Dang, did you do these yourself?" He pointed to the sketches.

"Yeah," Craig replied modestly, rubbing his neck. "It's just something I do when I'm bored."

I walked across the room, checking out each exquisite sketch. Each was unique in style, ranging from breathtakingly realistic portraits to comic-style cartoons. I stopped at one particularly detailed picture. "Is this Stripe?" I asked hesitantly, knowing it was a touchy subject. Craig and his guinea pig had been like best friends all throughout elementary school. They were always together, sometimes even at school. I remember how passionate Craig was about that guinea pig. He had never had those same feelings for anything else since Stripe died a few years ago.

Craig replied, "Yes. I, uh, drew that a little after he died. I wanted to make sure I never forgot what he looked like." He suddenly looked very sad.

Thomas took notice. "Well, I have to go to the bathroom!" He announced. "Don't worry about _-shit!-_ showing it to me, Craig. I'll find it by myself." As Thomas ceremoniously exited the room, he gave me a subtle wink.

Oh, no. Thomas winks are _never _a good sign.

Trying to ignore the gesture, I sat down cross-legged on Craig's bed. "I'm sorry about Stripe."

Craig smiled, albeit sadly. "I'm fine. He's in a better place now, or so I like to think." He sat down next to me on the bed.

I figured now was the best opportunity I was going to get. Taking a deep breath, I said, "So, uh...E-earlier this week, what did you and Thomas talk about at the bus stop?"

Craig sighed, remaining still and looking straight ahead for a few seconds. I was afraid he was mad at me, but finally he said, "You. We...we talked about you."

I gulped, starting to tug my hair again, harder. "Oh, no. W-what did you say? Was it b-bad? Was it about the fight in third grade because if it is, I-I'm still really, really sorry about t-that and I just thought-"

"Please, Tweek. It's okay," Craig pleaded, moving closer to me. "That wasn't what we talked about at all." He laughed darkly, looking down for a moment. "God, I don't know how to say this.

"Well, Thomas asked me about you. I mean, how I feel about you. And I told him the truth. And, well, the truth is, I like you, Tweek. I don't know how or when it started, but I _like you, _Tweek. And that's all we talked about and god, it's all I've been able to think about."

I started, not sure what to say or think or feel. "I-I don't understand," I said, trying to make sense of this. But I had a pretty good idea of what he meant, because that's exactly how I felt about _him. _

Craig chuckled sadly, looking at me with his dark green eyes. A million emotions seemed to run through them as he leaned in to me. Hesitantly, he got closer and closer, so close I could almost feel our lips meet-

"Heyo!" Thomas greeted, throwing open the door. "You've got a nice bathroom- WOAH! Am I interrupting something here?"

Craig and I immediately flinched away from each other. I shrieked and fell off the bed, landing painfully on my side. "Are you okay, buddy?" Thomas asked, leaning over me.

I grunted looking over at Craig who looked positively mortified. He sat frozen on his bed, one hand over his mouth. After a moment of icy awkwardness, he relaxed, looking at Thomas with a solemn expression. "I told Tweek about what we talked about."

Thomas stood back up. "Great!" He exclaimed joyfully. "Finally, the secret is revealed. This is so _-damnit!- _exciting!"

I risked a peek at Craig, only to find him looking at me with a strange expression in his eyes, like he had so many things to say. I blushed a heart crimson. Was he really about to kiss me? No, I had to be imagining it. He would never want to do that._  
_

But, he told me he _liked _me. And he leaned in. _Oh, god! _This was so much pressure! I stood up quickly. "_Ireallygottagonowsobye!" _I scurried for the door, avoiding the gazes of Thomas and Craig.

"Wait, please don't leave!" I heard Craig plead, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. I couldn't let this go any farther.

No matter how much I wished to kiss Craig Tucker right then.


	10. Moonlight

_(quick note: I'm sorry this is being uploaded a day late. My computer lost its connectivity -.- and all my work on my two new stories were lost so I had to restart! sorry)_

_Hooray! I'm finally at chapter 9, which is where all the good stuff begins. Ah, this is what I love about fanfiction. _

_I've been thinking about doing a South Park truth-or-dare story. It will be a sleepover at Clyde's house, and the participants with be Clyde, Craig, Kenny, Butters, Tweek, Kyle, Stan, and Token. If you're interested, please add any suggestions you have for dares or truths in the review section. Thank you if you do. I'm really looking forward to any suggestions I get ;) The story will have an M rating most likely, so don't hold back._

_Also, today I was at the mall walking around and stuff and this group of people walked by and they all had cool hair, like mohawks and colours and stuff. This one guy happened to have the exact same hairstyle as me (black shoulder-length with blonde fringe) and we just stared at each other for a moment, looking at our identical hairstyles. So he said, "I like your hair" and I was like "I like your hair, too, bruh." But he was really cute and stuff so it made my day._

_Anyway, please enjoy! Favorite, follow, and review!_

_~Ari_

* * *

9- Craig's POV

"I'm such a fucking idiot," I muttered into my hands.

Tweek had just run out of the room after I confessed that I liked him. God, why the hell did I do that? I know Tweek, I know that he wouldn't have been able to handle something like that and what even suggests that he might feel the same way about me? I should have lied and said Thomas and I talked about movies or something. He would have known it was a lie, but damn, at least he could _handle _something like that. I always screw up like this. "Kill me," I groaned to Thomas. He sat on the floor in front of me, a concerned look on his small face.

"Tweek is pretty delicate," he replied softly. "He can't _- shit!- _handle his own feelings, let alone someone else's. Especially yours, Craig. He really cares a lot about you. But he's scared to admit that, even to himself. Just give him time, okay?"

I nodded, sighing. "I just wish I could get him to come back in here so I can explain myself."

Thomas stood up, a glimmer of hope in his chocolate brown eyes. "Wait! We drove over here in my car, so he has to _-fuck!- _still be in here! He would never walk home alone in the dark."

I smiled at the ostentatious blonde. "Thanks, Thomas. I think I should talk to him alone, if you don't mind."

"No prob," he shrugged, sitting back down. "I'll just wait here till you're done." I nodded my thanks, standing up to find Tweek.

I padded softly out of my bedroom. Knowing Tweek, he was probably hiding somewhere, so I kept my eyes peeled.

He wasn't in the hallway or the bathroom, and I knew he would go into another room unwelcomed. Tweek was just...polite like that.

Knowing that, the only room left was the living room. I tiptoed quietly into the large room and whispered, "Tweek? You here?"

I heard somewhat of a whimper coming from behind my couch. "Hey," I called gently, peering behind the leather sofa. Tweek sat on the ground, his knees pulled up to his chin and his face hidden behind his shaking hands. He looked positively frightened and well, adorable. Really adorable.

He removed his hands, looking up at me with his giant green eyes. "H-hi."

"Can I sit down?" He nodded, and I sat cross-legged next to Tweek on the cold floor behind the couch. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer.

I breathed in deeply. "Look, Tweek," I said. "I'm sorry. I keep screwing up with you and I really wish that I...could just _fix _it but I'm scared I'm pushing you away. That's the last thing I want to do. If you want, I'll stop and leave you alone, because all i want is for you to be happy, okay? I just-"

"I like you, too," Tweek blurted.

"What?"

He turned back to me, quavering but looking me right in the eye as he said, "I like you too. Actually, I-I have for a while now. Y-years. But I always thought you h-hated me.

"I'm the one w-who should apologize. I shouldn't have run out like that without an explanation, but I care about you, so much. A-and you need to know that b-because you really matter a lot to me."

"Me too," I responded, stunned by the confession. "I care about you, too." I never thought Tweek actually liked me. I always thought Thomas was just telling me things, or bending the truth so I would confess myself.

Still shaking, Tweek stood up and smiled down at me. "Come on," he said, extending a slender hand. "Let's go back to Thomas."

I didn't let go of that hand as we walked back to my bedroom. I held on tightly, as if it were what kept me on the ground. As soon as we came in, Thomas stood up. He looked concerned until he saw our intertwined hands. A smile broke out on his face. "Aw, you guys look so cute! I take it you settled things?"

Tweek blushed and quickly let go of my hand.

"Oh, don't mind me," Thomas assured, shrugging his shoulders. "Feel free to _-bitch!- _hold hands." He paused, looking out my window onto the dark streets below. "Wait, what time is it?"

I started, looking at my watch. "It's...a little past midnight. Dang."

Thomas's eyebrows raised. "Wow. Uh, I actually only have a permit so I probably shouldn't, ya know, drive at night." He blushed guiltily. "I might get pulled over."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Wanna just spend the night?" I asked the two blondes.

Tweek fidgeted beside me, looking nervous as he tugged his hair. "Well, I don't know..." he hesitated.

Thomas pulled a hand over his best friend's mouth and shouted, "We'd love to!"

* * *

I stared up at my ceiling in the darkness, unable to fall asleep as usual. Of course, it didn't help that the unfamiliar breathing patterns of two small blonde boys were resonating from the floor beside me. Thomas and Tweek were those two bodies, having ended up staying the night, despite Tweek's protestations. By one o'clock, everyone was laying down in my room to sleep. I had pulled out a few spare blankets and pillow from the hall closet and spread them around my carpet. I remained in the bed, despite asking them if they wanted to use it. They both had declined, insisting that the floor was perfectly fine.

Being an insomniac, I often had problems falling asleep. I blinked at the moonlight coming through my window, estimating that it was around 3 am. My family was still not home, and would not be returning until later that day in the afternoon.

As I laid silently in my bed, I heard a faint voice whisper my name. "C-craig?"

"Yeah, Tweek?" I sifted slightly, just able to make out the slender silhouette of the small boy in the darkness.

"Are you s-still awake?"

I laughed softly. "Of course. We're talking aren't we?"

"Oh, right," he whispered, and I could imagine the blush that must having been spreading across his cheeks. "So...uh, w-wanna talk?" he asked meekly. "I can't sleep."

"Sure," I agreed, sitting up. I patted a spot on the bed beside me. "Wanna come up here?"

He stood up, maneuvering around the sleeping Thomas. He sat down gingerly beside me, trying to keep a distance between us.

"So what do you want to talk about?" I asked. From this close, I could see certain detail's of Tweek's face, like the bruise still lingering on his cheek from Clyde.

"I don't k-know," Tweek shrugged. "Anything, I guess."

"Well," I hesitated, not sure how to phrase this. "Want to talk about us?" I shook my head. "God, that sounded stupid. Forget I said that."

"No," Tweek protested, finding my hand and holding onto it softly. The weight of his hand felt warm, like a bridge in between us. "It's okay. Uh, what _are _we?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Maybe we should take this one step at a time."

Tweek nodded, visibly more comfortable as he allowed his stiff shoulders to relax. "I'd like that."

I looked at him in the darkness, his eyes visible from the sparse amount of moonlight peeking through my open window. I studied his face, analyzing it. He looked so earnest right at that moment, like a small puppy. I leaned a little closer to him automatically, raising a hand to his cheek. When I realized what I was doing, I flinched back, removing my hand. "S-sorry," I stuttered.

But Tweek remained unfazed, eliminating the distance between us as he moved closer to me, so close that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my cheek. I felt myself lean in, pressing my lips against Tweek's, wrapped a hand through his tangled blonde hair. I pulled him onto my lap, and he pulled both arms around my shoulders.

I gently prodded Tweek's small pink lips with my tongue, asking for entrance. He gladly complied, deepening our kiss. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to melt into Tweek. I laid back onto my bed, the small blonde still on my lap. He adjusted to the new position, straddling my lap. Though he still quavered, I felt like this was a whole new side of Tweek that in all my years of knowing him, I had not been exposed to.

I ran my hand slowly down Tweek's back, brushing away any hesitations still lingering in my mind. It occurred to me that this was my first kiss, and I would never in a million years have expected it to be with a boy, much less Tweek Tweak. But what the hell, I thought as I lifted Tweek's shirt, making him shiver.

"Are you okay?" I interrupted. Tweek nodded vigorously, pulling my back into our kiss.

We melted further into each other, my hands kneading his slender waist. I adjusted our position, moving myself on top of the boy, who moaned very softly. It was really fucking sexy and I could feel my boxers grow more and more constricting even though they were relatively baggy.

My moved my lips down, kissing from his neck to his throat, his jaw, his collarbone. Tweek flushed, moving his hips up to meet with mine.

I couldn't help but groan. It sounded inhuman, almost animalistic.

Thomas sifted in his blankets on the floor at the sudden noise, looking up to see what was happening. "What?" he called sleepily.

Tweek shrieked, back to his usual nervous self. He almost fell off the bed but I pulled him back up before he could make impact with the floor.

"Woah," Thomas exclaimed, visibly more awake, "Were you guys about to do it? God, that was faster than I thought."

Tweek turned nearly blood red from embarrassment, pushing himself as far from me on the bed as possible. "N-no! No..."

I shrugged. "I have no idea what just happened," I admitted.

Thomas nodded, and I could practically see his smirk in the darkness. "Ah, I see. I get it. You don't want ol' Thomas to know what you kids are up to in the wee hours of the morning, but the proof is right here. I can practically _-fuck!- _feel the teenage hormones wafting through this room." He looked down at my uncomfortably tight boxers, which were clearly protruding.

I flinched, quickly covering myself up with my blanket. "We were just kissing," I defended.

Thomas stood up and turned the light on. "Well, I just interrupted you guys twice in one night. Sorry I'm such a drag."

"No!" Tweek exclaimed from his secluded corner of the bed. "It's okay."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Ain't no thang," I said in a faux- southern twang.

The blondes laughed, things recovering from the supremely awkward state.

"Let's w-watch another movie," Tweek suggested quietly. "There's no way I'm falling back a-asleep now."

"Sure," I said, standing up.

"Do you have 'My Neighbor Totoro?' That movie is so cute."

"Of course I do," I said, giving the blonde a wink.

* * *

We settled onto the big couch in my living room once again, switching the movie on. I got out some m&m's and we all relaxed under a blanket.

I sat next to Tweek once more, this time holding onto his hand under the cover of the blanket. As the movie went on, his head became heavy on my shoulder and he slowly drifted off to sleep. Thomas soon followed, and before I knew it, I had drifted off as well.


	11. You're Such A Perv, Tweek

_*Weeps bitterly in the corner, occasionally glancing at you* I'm so heartbroken that nobody's written about my truth or dare thingy. I thought you guys loved me._

_Lol sorry. But, seriously, I want ideas! I need you people. I also might turn it into a crossover with homestuck because why the hell not? It might be a stupid idea, but it's something to do. _

_Anyway, the day after tomorrow I have to go bowling with these three people I don't know because my mom wants me to talk to more people my age, or something like that. It's two boys and a girl. But one of the boys and a girl are a part of triplets, isn't that cool? I hope they're attractive because that would be so awesome. And then there's another boy who's 16 or whatever. I hope they're nice ._._

_Holy balls. The Fosters is on and Blonde Mommy just got shot. That's pretty dramatic. I really wanna watch this, so gotta go bye!_

_~Ari_

* * *

10-Tweek's POV

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

I woke up to the smell of warm coffee and bacon. Thomas stood above me, his hair bedraggled and a steamy mug in his hand. He held the cup out to me, saying, "This is for you!" He smiled his usual cheery smile.

"Hey, thanks!" I replied sleepily, rubbing my eyes. I looked around, recalling my surroundings; Craig's living room. "Uh, where's Craig?"

Thomas pointed to my left, wiggling his blonde eyebrows. I turned to see a large pile of blankets heaped on the leather sofa. I was confused for a moment, until I noticed the pile of blankets were moving up and down slightly, as if breathing. I gasped, looking to Thomas. _Craig? _I mouthed to my best friend.

He nodded, leaning in to whisper to me. "You should wake him up. I totally want _-damnit!-_ to see the look on his face when he wakes up to the sight of your sexy bedhead."

I scrambled to pat my mess of hair down, causing Thomas to laugh an grab my constantly trembling hands. "Don't," he commanded. "It looks cute, trust me."

I looked up at him, suspicion in my eyes, but sighed and scooted closer to the breathing pile of blankets beside me. I carefully pulled the cover back, resulting in a Craig-like groan resounding from the object beneath. Soon Craig's messy, raven black head was exposed, still sound asleep. I tapped him gently, but to no avail.

God damn, was that boy sexy when he slept. His lanky frame was spread out on the sofa haphazardly, one pale arm hanging off the edge. His cheeks were tinted pink from sleep, and his messy hair made him resemble a cute black puppy.

Thomas noticed me staring, a devilish glint in his big brown eyes. "You should _-shit!- _kiss him awake."

"N-no!" I stuttered, my face becoming pink as well, but from embarrassment. But I hesitated a moment, eyeing the sleeping boy. I began to lean in, and gave Craig a careful and quick peck on the cheek.

"Aw, Tweekers," Thomas groaned, bouncing a little. "You can do better than that!"

I stuck my tongue out at my teasing best friend, and leaned close to Craig again. This time I kissed him hesitantly on the lips, allowing it to last a few seconds longer than necessary. Before I knew what was going on, I felt Craig apply pressure to my own lips. I started, but Craig sat up, putting a hand behind my neck to keep me close. I grunted, trying to pull away, but the larger boy refused. He pulled a hand around my waist, forcing me to practically sit on his lap. I put my trembling hand in his hair, forgetting where we were. For a moment, it was just me and Craig, his warmth pressed against me as we kissed softly and slowly. I nearly moaned, until I recalled that we had an audience.

Thomas cleared his throat, snapping us back to reality. "Not that I'm not enjoying this show, but you guys should save that for later. Right now, you should eat because the _-shit!- _bacon's getting cold."

Craig groaned teasingly, addressing Thomas but his eyes still locked with mine. "Aw, fine. Thanks, Thomas. I'll go get us some."

I sat frozen, looking into his dark green eyes until Craig raised an eyebrow, gesturing to his occupied lap. Blushing, I quickly stood up. "S-sorry!" I apologized, bowing as if I were some Japanese business man.

Once I was standing, Craig yawned deeply, stretching his back like a cat. Slowly, he moved zombie-like into the kitchen. I followed close behind.

Heaping bacon onto our plates, Craig turned to me and asked, "So what was that all about?"

"H-huh?" I replied stupidly.

He handed me a full plate. "I mean, kissing me while I was sleeping. You're such a perv, Tweek."

"Eek!" I shrieked, nearly dropping the plate. "I-I'm so sorry! Ohmygod, I p-promise I'm not a perv, Thomas told me to do it! I didn't even want to, and I won't do it again! Ever!"

"Relax!" Craig chuckled, giving me a small kiss on the forehead. "I'm just teasing you. I liked it, way better than an alarm clock. Can you wake me up like that every morning?"

"See?" Thomas interjected, putting his blonde head on my shoulder. "I told you he'd like it." He smiled at Craig. "Did you see his sexy bedhead, Craigy?" The tall boy laughed at my expense, nodding to Thomas. I buried my face in my hands, groaning at these two.

We sat down at Craig's kitchen table with our coffee an bacon. Looking at the clock, I saw that it was 7:45 am. Still pretty early.

"Anyhoo," Thomas said between mouthfuls of bacon. "I've decided you guys are having your first real date today."

"What?!" I exclaimed, nearly choking on my coffee.

"That would be fun," Craig commented nonchalantly, looking down at his bacon. "But I have to shower first."

"Sounds good enough," Thomas replied, satisfied. "You guys will have to change clothes, too. You can't go outside like that." Thomas's eyes skimmed over Craig in his crumpled black t shirt and boxers and me in my jeans and button-down. I had fallen asleep in my clothes last night, because unlike Thomas and Craig, I was way too shy to fall asleep in my underwear. Just the thought of Craig seeing me in my briefs made me blush.

"Hey!" I protested indignantly. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Thomas squinted his eyes, pantomiming thinking about it. "Ah, lemme see...Nope. None at all. Now _-shit!- _shower up, lads. Time's a-wastin'!" _  
_

I sighed, giving up. Once Thomas was up to something, he never backed down. I looked to Craig. "C-can I borrow your shower?"

"Go ahead."

* * *

After my shower, I stopped in Craig's room, pulling on my crumpled clothes from last night. I'm not one to feel comfortable to day old clothes, but what else was there to do? I sat down on the bed with Thomas, waiting for Craig to finish washing up. When he finally returned, wrapped in a towel, the tall noirette looked me up and down, shaking his head dramatically.

"What?" I snapped, embarrassed at seeing Craig covered up by so little. I tried to control myself from staring, uh, _down there. _

"You can't wear that on a date," he said matter-of-factly.

"I k-know, but there's nothing else for me to wear."

"Just borrow some of Craig's clothes," Thomas inserted.

I scoffed. As if any of Craig's clothes would fit me. Honestly, the guy towered over me and weighed maybe 50 pounds more. "They'll be too big for me."

"Naw," Craig replied, walking in to his closet. "I have some clothes from middle school that would fit you." He poked his head out, smirking at me. "But I'll only let you wear them if you pick out clothes for me, too."

Knowing it couldn't be helped, I followed Craig into his rather expansive closet. I was surprised to see how much stuff he had in there. He seemed like the kind of guy to have maybe a few shirts and a pair of jeans, but then again, his room didn't match his image at all either. There was definitely more to Craig than what met the eye.

I was surprised to see a small collection of vintage clothes stacked up on a shelf. I pictured him wearing any number of these 1950's era outfits. I have to admit, he would look pretty hot. Craig in a bowtie? _Yes please. _He would look like a sexy Sinatra.

Sorting through the hangers, I picked out a pair of dark grey jeans, a white button down, and maroon cardigan for Craig to wear. For shoes, I found a nice pair of brown dress shoes.

"Here," I said, passing the clothes to Craig. "Y-you would look nice in these."

Craig inspected each garment, nodding his approval along the way. "Nice," he commented. "Very classy. I approve."

I smiled up at him, happy that I had made a good choice. I asked Craig where I would find his clothes from middle school but he shook his head. "No. That's my job."

I reluctantly sat down next to Thomas, waiting for Craig to get dressed and show what he had for me. I hoped he wouldn't pick anything embarrassing.

I peered at Thomas, who was texting somebody. I peeked over his shoulder to see who it was. Much to my surprise, the name on the screen was Kenny McCormick.

"How's Kenny doing?" I asked.

Thomas looked up from the screen, giving me his ever-present smile. "Pretty good. We're gonna see a movie while _-bitch!-_ you and Craig are doing your stuff."

"Really? Like a date?" I asked, trying to shake off whatever 'do you stuff' meant. I was confused. I didn't even know Thomas liked Kenny. He was such a selfless guy, always focusing on my life instead of talking about himself.

"Maaaaybe..." Thomas sang with a smirk. "I've had my eye on that sexy beast for a while now, actually. He just texted me a few minutes ago about the movie. Pretty cool, huh?"

"W-why am I only just now hearing about this?" I asked, insulted.

"Don't worry, cub," Thomas said, patting my still damp hair. "I didn't want to interrupt you when _-shit!- _you're in your Craig stupor."

"You and Kenny, eh?" Craig said, emerging from my closet in the clothes I picked out for him. It looked pretty good. "I overheard about your thing, Thomas, so I got some clothes for you, too." He threw the bundles in his hands at the two of us.

In my bundle was a pale green sweater and grey button down, paired with blue skinny jeans that were rolled up at the ankles. I looked up at Craig, peeking through my eyelashes.

"What?" he defended. "Green looks god on you."

I shook my head in embarrassment, standing up. "T-thanks. For the clothes. I'll go change in the b-bathroom."

"I'm coming with!" Thomas proclaimed, clutching his own bundle of a white v-neck, blue plaid shirt, and black jeans to his chest.

Once we were changed, we returned to Craig's room. Thomas struck a pose in the doorway, pouting seductively. "You both look pretty hot," Craig laughed, a lopsided grin on this pale face. "Kenny's gonna love seeing your ass in those, Thomas."

"Aw, thanks!" the short blonde exclaimed. "And I bet you're loving seeing Tweek in those skinny jeans. I mean, _damn!"_

_"Maybe," _Craig teased, winking at me. "So where shall we go?"

"A-anywhere is fine." I looked down, fiddling with the misplaced buttons of my shirt. I always had a problem with buttoning things. My hands shook to much for me to get them on straight.

Craig noticed. "Here, let me help you with that," he said. Before I could protest, he crouched down in front of me, re-buttoning my grey shirt. I blushed a deep crimson, embarrassed that my chest was being exposed. I waited for him to finish, trying to avoid eye contact. I felt like a child with Craig practically dressing me.

Pretty soon, he stood back up, smiling as he patted my shoulder. "Fixed it. Now, where shall we go?"

"You know," Thomas faux-whispered. "Tweek loves the new sushi place down town."

"I like sushi. How does that sound, Tweek?"

I looked up, nodding frantically. I really did like sushi. Especially the place Thomas mentioned, the one with the cool conveyor belts that you just grabbed the sushi off of without having to deal with the pressure of ordering from a waiter.

"Well, let's go!" Thomas proclaimed eagerly. "I'll drop you guys off at the restaurant first and go to the movies."

As I allowed my best friend to drag me out the door, I thought, _what was I letting myself get in to?_


	12. I'll Be Your Slave If You Want

_My homestuck shirts are finished! I feel joy :)_

_~Ari_

* * *

11-Craig's POV

Tweek and I sat quietly in the sushi bar, which we learned was called 'Wasabi.' It was a cute little restaurant, very clean and modern. It was pretty empty for a Saturday at noon, but I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise in a place like South Park. These people were very, er, conservative in their daily lives, and wouldn't dare try something as suspicious as raw fish. So Tweek and I had almost the whole restaurant to ourselves, save for a few high school age kids here and there, none of which we knew.

Ever since Thomas had dropped us off, I noticed that Tweek had returned to his usual twitchy nervous state. I sighed. I thought I had come pretty close to breaking that barrier between us, especially after last night, but Tweek was unpredictable. He was the kind of person who would kiss you awake in the morning but be too shy to even look at you a few hours later. I wondered if this was due to the fact that Thomas was not around. The eccentric blonde was somewhat of an influence on his more timid best friend, encouraging him to take more risks. But, alone, Tweek was once again a blushing introvert. I watched him as he sat next to me, picking at his California roll and tugging his messy blonde hair.

"You look nervous," I said stupidly. Why did I say that? It would just make Tweek even more nervous than he already was. I just wanted to get him to be relaxed around me, which would never happen if I kept saying the wrong thing. So, of course, Tweek squeaked and tried to turn his face away from me.

"I'm n-n-not!" he insisted, blushing automatically. God, that was cute. I was starting to really love that tint in his cheeks.

I chuckled, looking at the scene before. "Don't worry," I assured, trying to calm my date down. "I'm nervous, too. This...well, this is my first date." I knew it was stupid, but I felt embarrassed saying that out loud. It's true, I've never really been interested in anyone enough to date them before. I always thought I was asexual or something, but for some reason Tweek made me feel differently. I felt like he was someone I could take out an have fun with.

Tweek looked up at me, widening his already huge green eyes. "_Really?_" he asked incredulously. "I didn't know you could get nervous. And, well, t-this is my first date, too." He looked down as if he were ashamed to admit it. I shrugged my shoulders, returning to my food.

"There's nothing wrong with that," I said offhandedly. "There has to be a first for everything." I quirked an eyebrow, smirking at the trembling blonde. "What? Are you disappointed that your first date had to be with me?"

As expected, Tweek nearly fell out of his chair trying to assure me otherwise. "No!" he shouted, causing the the other people in the restaurant to turn to us and whisper. _A lover's quarrel? _I heard one girl say to her friend with a smirk. Thank god Tweek didn't hear her or he might have had a heart attack. "I'm r-really glad to be here with you!" he assured quickly.

I studied the worried expression on Tweek's face, from the trembling of his small lower lip to the way his blonde eyebrows knitted together above his heavy-lashed eyes. I couldn't help but want to put that face on paper. "Can I draw you?" I asked suddenly.

Tweek started, looking up at me suspiciously. "H-how?" he asked. "We're in a restaurant."

"Actually," I replied, reaching into my backpack, "I carry a sketch pad with me nearly everywhere." I pulled out the well-worn navy blue book and held it up to Tweek. "So, can I?"

"Why would you ever want to draw me?" he asked reluctantly.

"Because," I responded with a smirk, "You're so damn cute."

Just as I had hoped for, a crimson blush spread up Tweek's slender cheeks. Perfect. He sputtered, looking nearly frightened. "Oh...oh, alright. I-if you want to. What do I have to do?"

"Just sit there," I responded, pulling out my graphite pencil. "Just like that."

* * *

For the next ten minutes or so, we sat in peaceful silence as I translated Tweek's delicate features into a sketch. I looked closely at the boy, trying to get a feel for his dimensions. He had such a unique face, almost weird in appearance. It was one of those faces an artist would kill to draw. It was perfectly balanced yet beautifully one of a kind. Tweek was quite catlike, from his angular cheekbones to his thin pink nose.

I carefully traced his almond shaped eyes, lining them in thick dark lashes and just a slight hint of purple underneath. The expression he gave off was worried, like a young child. On his nose, I added his spray freckles and my favorite pink tint to his cheeks. His lips were a little chapped, but still full and pink. The colors of is face contrasted with each other artfully, an I curse myself for having only a grey pencil. I would have loved to do this portrait in watercolor, but I guess that would have to be saved for next time.

As all the features came together, I noticed how remarkably sad the picture was. Looking up at the real thing, I saw a matching expression. I wondered if this was natural and Tweek always looked like that but I didn't notice until now. Sometimes, I don't really see a person until I've sketched their likeness onto a piece of paper. It helps me to make that connection that comes naturally the regular people but it impossible for me. Through drawing, I see what a person is beyond their physical appearance, I see a little more of their personality and emotions.

I was suddenly unsatisfied with my picture of Tweek. I wanted one where he looked happy. But, how could I get him to look like that? I knew I needed to find a way to get him to relax with me, to break that barrier. Maybe then he could smile at me like he was last night. I decided I would wait before trying again, not wanting to overwhelm the timid boy on only the first date.

"Done!" I proclaimed, handing the portrait to the boy. "Do you like it?"

Tweek studied the picture. "Wow," he breathed. "I look...handsome." he laughed at himself. "That sounded self centered. Sorry. But...really, y-you made me look _attractive. _And I've never seen myself that way, so i-it's a nice change. Thank you." He carefully put the picture in his messenger bag, trying not to crease the image.

"You're handsome, trust me," I laughed through a mouthful of sushi. "I'm lucky to be here with someone like you."

"Oh please!" Tweek exclaimed, waving his hands. "I'm t-the one who's lucky! I mean, you're _Craig Tucker._Who would've thought I-I'd be on a date with you?"

"Yeah..." I said, staring on my plates. "It is weird. I mean...I- never mind."

"No, what?"

"Well, we're both boys, " I said simply, avoiding eye contact.

"Yes." Tweek replied, looking at me strangely. "So?"

"I never thought of myself as gay, Tweek." He paused, looking down. I sighed, regretting my choice of words. Did I hurt his feelings? It was hard to tell with Tweek. Regardless, I continued on. "And, well, I don't have a problem with it. I think gender shouldn't matter in your feelings for someone, but not everyone shares my views. Certainly not the people of South Park." I stopped, letting this sink in. Tweek realized what I meant and started wringing his hands discreetly under the table. He suddenly looked very self conscious.

"The people at school," he said simply, still looking down.

"Yes." I grabbed one of his hands under the table, trying to reassure him. "But they shouldn't matter, right?" I put my other hand to his cheek, making him look up at me. "Because I really like you.

"And I want to make up for all those years of tormenting you. I'll be your slave forever, if you want."

Tweek laughed. "That's okay," he waved off with a grin. "Having you here is enough for me."

* * *

_This chapter is especially short. Sorry about that._


	13. Thomas's Date (wink wink)

_Hello, my dears. As always, my name is Ari and thank you for choosing to read my story. I really appreciate all your support because it's you guys who inspire me to do what I love and feel good about it. As you know, I love writing so much and it's what I plan to do with my life._

_(Quick Note: Please skip the whole following section and move on to the story if you are not interested in hearing me rant about something. No hard feelings if you do; I just wanted to warn you.)_

_However, I do want to bring something up. Today, I went bowling with some people who I have just met and they seemed like perfectly nice people, very easy to talk to. I'm open to new friendships with all types of people but a little something struck me about one boy and his mother; they were very set on traditional gender roles. I know this sounds weird to most of you, but in today's society seemingly concrete things like gender and sexuality should be treated with openness and sensitivity. _

_I don't want to go into detail about the boy and his mother for the sake of their privacy, so I'll stick with a rather ambiguous rant that covers a broader spectrum of the issues at hand. _

_First, please realize that when you meet someone new, you will almost never have a reason to refer to them in terms of gender other than the use of pronouns. Even then, you could always just call that person 'they.' Gender, in today's world, is just starting to become something people can change to fit their own lives. I think that's a beautiful thing, the option to choose the gender that you feel most comfortable with. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not open to this and can either intentionally or unintentionally insult or degrade someone who struggles with gender identification. If you ever come across someone who you can't tell what gender they are, please don't ask if they are a boy or a girl. I'm sorry if this makes me sound like a stick up my ass hippie, but you will most certainly come across this situation at some point in your life and I want you to be able to handle it with sensitivity to the person in question. This isn't to say that everyone is transgender, androgynous, etc, but there are enough people that are that you should be considerate to them and their personal decisions. So, I think the safest way to address the gender question is ask the person for their preferred pronoun or how they identify themselves. The pronoun question is much better, in my opinion. Also, if you see a boy or girl who do not conform to the gender norm, please don't confront them about it. If you see a boy wearing feminine clothes, for example, do not ask him why, unless he is the one to bring it up in the first place._

_Secondly, there are many sexual orientations, ranging farther than simply 'gay' or 'straight.' Do not assume that because a person is female, that she likes boys, and vice versa. Do not ask a boy how many girlfriends he has had or if he is interested in any girls. This could be very offensive, suggesting that as a male he simply must be interested in women. He could be straight, yes, but you can't know for sure. He could be gay, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, etc. So, if you find yourself needing to ask such a question, please say something like 'Are you involved with anyone right now' or something along the lines of that. That leaves sexuality off the table and is a safe alternative to something crude like 'do you want to bone Susan' or something like that._

_Lastly, never ever **ever **bring up sexuality in terms of the Bible unless you are in church or in a religion class. This is extremely inappropriate for public situations and could offend many people. Please realize that there are people out there who look to find god, but are also struggling with sexual orientation. Please, if you follow any of my advice, **do not tell a gay person that being gay is a sin. **Just don't do it, okay? In no way shape or form is this okay. I go to a Catholic school and this subject comes up occasionally, especially in religion class. It is extremely hurtful for some people and just plain rude. Be open to all forms of love. And even if you do think it is a sin, please keep this to yourself. Please don't tell someone homosexuality is a disease, a choice, a sin, or can be cured with prayer or treatment._

_Sorry about the rant, but if you read, thank you so much for listening. _

_~Ari_

* * *

12- Thomas's POV

"Bye, guys!" I called out my window excitedly as I dropped Tweek and Craig off outside the sushi restaurant. Lordy, they were absolutely the cutest couple ever, totally perfect for each other, and because of little ol' me they were finally getting together. I couldn't help but be proud of myself.

They looked so nervous, it was just adorable. I hoped that Tweek would ease up just a bit, like he did this morning. Of course, that would take some work on Craig's end but I had complete faith in both of them. I knew Tweek pretty damn well, and if there was one person he would make an effort to let in, it was Craig.

But right then, I had other matters on hand, and those matters just happened to be sending me a text. I looked down at my phone as I drove, reading out loud what Kenny McCormack, possibly one of the sexiest guys ever, had written to me. "How does The Conjuring sound?" I read aloud as I drove my worn out red truck.

"Perfect," I texted back, a smile of my face. What better date movie than something scary? Just picture it, guys: the lights are down, a scary part comes up, you grab on to the person next to you. What's sexier than that? I put away my phone for the remainder of the drive, not wanting to get pulled over again when I only had my learner's permit.

I arrived at the theatre to find an orange-clad Kenny waiting on a bench outside for me. I waved enthusiastically, smiling at the blonde haired boy. He returned the wave, looking cool as ever in a pair of ripped black pants, a grey band shirt, red converse, and, of course, his parka. "Hey, Thomas," he greeted with a lopsided smile. He stood up from the bench, looking me over. "You look great," he commented.

Blushing like a Tweek, I shrugged my shoulders. "Craig picked it out for me," I said. "You look pretty sexy yourself." He laughed, the 5'10 boy wrapping a lanky arm around my shoulders. "Let's go in," he said. "I'll buy the tickets if you get the popcorn?"

He looked a little embarrassed, shrugging. I waved him off, pulling out my wallet. Of course, Kenny really didn't have much money so I brought enough for both of us. "Got it." I led Kenny through the line and bought our tickets, a huge tub of popcorn, sourpatch kids, and coke.

He sat down near the front, in those seats with the rail thing in front of them so we could put our feet up. We were early, but already the theatre was pretty full. This must have been a pretty big movie.

Kenny looked a little nervous, honestly, gorging himself with popcorn and keeping a safe distance from me. I was disappointed, hoping that he would want to cuddle but I figured he was just waiting until the movie started to get the romance in gear. "So, how are you?" Kenny asked, giving me his signature cocky smile.

I returned the expression, replying, "Great. I wonder though, why did _-shit!- _you decide to ask me out now?"

I watched him blush. "I don't know," he said genuinely. "I guess I was just a little scared before now." He turned away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

I laughed. "You?" I said incredulously. "Kenny McCormack, afraid to ask someone out? That's pretty_ -bitch!-_ out of character."

He stuck his tongue out at me, but laughed. "Shush," he said, pushing my arm playfully.

"Hey!" I protested, pushing him back. Pretty soon we were have a pushing war with each other, laughing loud enough to get people telling us to shut up, but we ignored them. It eventually turned into a tickle war, to which I called it quits. "No fair!" I laughed, clutching my waist. "You've got longer arms!"

"Sounds like a personal problem!" he said, with a final tickle to my neck. But the lights dimmed down, the trailers beginning to roll and we settled back to enjoy the movie.

The first scene was fucking creepy. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but that doll? Holy balls, was that scary. I took advantage of the situation, leaning into Kenny who gladly complied, wrapping me in his arm.

As the movie progressed, I placed my head on his shoulder, totally happy. I still couldn't believe that Kenny asked me out. I mean, I've liked him since sophomore year. I always try to focus myself on others, especially Tweek with his Craig thing, but it was nice to have something good like this happen to me every once in a while.

"_Fuck!" _I accidentally called out during one of the scary scenes when the lady appeared above the closet. I quickly covered my mouth, embarrassed. I thought I had my Tourette's under control, at least to the point where I didn't blurt out obscenities out of nowhere. I guess the shock caused me to lose control for a moment. I looked to Kenny apologetically and whispered, "Sorry."

"It's fine," he whispered back with an assuring smile, tightening his hold of my waist. "I'm here for you."

I nodded thankfully, leaning back into him. Unfortunately, this wasn't a one time thing. I couldn't control the outbursts especially during a shocking scene and people were starting to take notice.

A man sitting behind us leaned forward and angrily whispered, "Keep it down, jackass. People are trying to watch a goddamn movie here."

I sputtered. "Oh, god. I'm so _-shit!- _sorry, sir. I just, I can't _-fuck!- _control it." I groaned, feeling like crap. Out of all times for me to have an outburst, why did it have to be when I was out with Kenny?

"What the hell?" The man hissed. "Can you stop? I'm trying to pay attention but I can't when you keep swearing, faggot."

Kenny turned around, looking at the man darkly. "What did you just call him?" I put a hand on his arm, trying to get him to turn away. God, I really hoped nothing bad happened.

However, the man continued. "You heard me," he answered with a smirk. "Get you boyfriend to shut the hell up or I'm getting security."

"I'm really sorry, sir, I have _-fuck!- _Tourette's syndrome," I apologized before Kenny could respond.

"I don't care what you have," the man replied, leaning forward.

"Don't be rude to Thomas!" Kenny hissed, standing up to face the man. "And don't you ever call him that again."

"What?" the man challenged, standing up as well. "A faggot?" By now, all eyes were on us instead of the movie. I fumbled with my shirt nervously, pulling on Kenny to get him to sit down.

Kenny fumed, raising an arm to punch the man when I got up, stepping in front of him. "Stop!" I yelled, grabbing both of his arms and forcing them down. "It's not worth it. Let's just go." I led him silently out of the theatre, not daring to look up at the people who stared at us, whispering, as we left.

"I'm so sorry!" I cried once we were safely outside. "I can't believe that _-shit!- _happened."

Kenny wrapped me tightly in his arms, running a hand through my hair soothingly. "It's not your fault," he said. "It's that motherfucker's in there." He looked up darkly, his grey eyes firey with anger. "I'll kill him if you want me to."

I laughed, waving off the offer. "No thank you," I replied. "But you can make it up to me." I smirked up at him, giving a wink.

"What?" he leaned in, smiling back. I pulled on his hood, getting him down to eye level.

"You could kiss me."

"Gladly!" he replied before pulling me in, pressing his soft lips against my own. wrapped my arms around his neck, having to get on my tiptoes to do so. He ran a hand down my back softly, causing me to shudder. I tangled my hand in his blonde hair, causing him to groan. "Damn," he whispered between kisses, laughing. "You're good at this."

I ran my tongue along his lower lip, biting delicately. I guess this thing was kind of my forte, but it was his, too. Kenny was known around town for being a notorious flirt. I was perfectly fine with that, but it would be nice to have the cocky blonde to myself.

We made out for quite a while really, and I was starting to be thankful we left the theatre. This was way better than some dumb old movie. I just wished we were somewhere private.

Unfortunately, the people from The Conjuring came out. We broke apart, not wanting the guy from before to come out and confront us. So, we went for a walk before I had to pick up Craig and Tweek.

It felt good to hold Kenny's hand, even if we got stares from people who passed us by. Kenny exuded confidence, not letting those people get to him or me. "They can think what they want," he said offhandedly. "But fuck it, I'll go out with whoever I want and they can't stop me."

I smiled up at Kenny. "Me neither," I said, leaning into him. "We should totally _-shit!- _do this again sometime."

"Yeah," he laughed, pulling me in for a quick kiss. "But next time, let's try not to sit in front of middle aged jackasses."

"Agreed!"


	14. Monday

_This one is going to be quite short. Sorry. There are only two chapters remaining, so get excited! I've really enjoyed working on this story and I appreciate each and every one of you._

_~Ari_

* * *

13- Tweek's POV

I felt incredibly nervous as I walked to the bus stop with Thomas Monday morning. I mean, it was still the same school with the same people and the same routine, but pretty soon I would be seeing Craig, my new..._boyfriend. _Holy shit, it feels so weird just thinking that. Barely a week ago, the thought of Craig even looking at me seemed far fetched. But now? I could talk to him and hold his hand, and he wanted me to. I could see him everyday and not feel like crap because I thought he despised me. This is the best thing that's ever happened in my life!

But I can't be fully happy, because I live in South Park, the most homophobic town in Colorado. If anyone at school knew Craig and I were together, they'd harass us nonstop, even threaten us. That means I can't be with Craig in public. I can't hold his hand, and I definitely can never kiss him anywhere where someone might see. That's the depressing part; knowing that people think I'm gross or sinful or whatever just because I happen to love someone of the same gender.

Thomas saw my disheartened expression and gave me a hug as we walked. "It's fine," he assured, seeming to know exactly what I was thinking. "There will _-shit!- _always be those people," he looked forward darkly, seeming to recall his date with Kenny. Thomas told me about the guy in the movie theatre who didn't seem to approve of two boys on a date. "But you can't let them get to you, Tweek."

I smiled at my darling best friend. "Y-you're right," I agreed. "I should stop w-worrying so much. Hell, I have Craig now and that should be enough for me to be happy. I've waited s-so long for this and I shouldn't let some stupid people get in the way!"

"That's the spirit!" Thomas exclaimed, ruffling my hair. We arrived at the bus stop and sat down on our familiar concrete bench, and waited for Craig to come.

As expected, he was without Clyde. I guess they had yet to make up. Regardless, I stood up excitedly and waved at the tall boy. I hadn't seen him since Saturday and, usually, this would not have seemed like a long time but right now it felt like an eternity. Craig was the only thing on my usually crammed mind.

"Good morning," he greeted with a lopsided smile. I walked up to him, wanting to give him a hug but not sure if I should, here, where anyone could see us. However, Craig beat me to it, wrapping me tightly in his long arms and holding me close. I allowed myself to fall into the embrace, burying my face in his blue-clad shoulder. We broke apart after a moment.

"Morning," I finally greeted back, looking up at the tall boy. We sat back down with Thomas, talking about the remainder of our weekends. It was all very pleasant until a certain brunette showed up, deliberately staring at his phone so as not to look at us.

Clearly, Clyde was still angry. Craig sighed, standing up to talk to his best friend. He looked back at us, seeming to tell us to wait. We obliged, looking on and listening to the interaction.

"Hey," Craig greeted casually. Clyde looked up and nodded, immediately returning his attention to his phone. Craig would have none of that. He grabbed the brunette's arm, demanding attention. "Talk to me, Clyde," he pleaded. "This can't keep going forever."

Clyde finally obliged, putting his phone away in his jean pocket with a huff. "What do you want?"

"I want you to still be my best friend. I love you, man. You're like a brother to me."

"I love you too, Craig. But..." he looked sullenly over Craig's shoulder, right at Thomas and me. His look said enough, that he still wanted nothing to do with us and he expected the same from his best friend. I guess he will never change, I thought sadly.

"But what?" Craig challenged, anger returning to his usually so gentle exterior. "You really still have a problem with those two? I'm sorry, but you need to suck it up. Thomas and Tweek are here to stay." He turned back to us, giving us a gentle smile that we both returned. "They're my friends."

"Whatever," Clyde said offhandedly, but still smiled his goofy smile at his best friend. "I missed you."

I watched as the two boys hugged, making up with each other. I smiled, glad that they were best friends again. I had been feeling terrible about splitting them up but now everything was falling into place. As long as he didn't find out we were dating, we should be fine.

But that uncertainty still lingered doubtfully in my mind. I automatically tugged my hair.

* * *

Craig and I tried to spend as little time around each other as possible throughout our classes to avoid suspicion. We still talked but limited ourselves to no touching. I wanted to kiss him pretty badly, but I was glad just to be around him.

However, Kenny wasn't as prudent.

When we arrived at the library for study hall later that day, the eccentric blonde was in full-blown joy mode over our new relationship. He was also very excited about his own blossoming relationship with Thomas, not holding back on PDA as he held the smaller boy on his lap, laughing happily and he talked with Stan and Kyle.

"Hey, cuties!" he called enthusiastically as we sat down. Judging from the looks Kyle and Stan gave us, they were already fully aware of what happened between Craig and I last weekend. I looked down hurriedly, blushing my signature crimson. "Aw, don't be embarrassed," Kenny continued, gently patting my back. "You guys look so cute together!"

"You really do," Kyle agreed. "And fuck all the homophobes."

"In speaking of which..." Stan gestured to the door of the library. where two boys were walking in. It was Clyde and Token, who came to our table.

"Hey, guys," Token greeted casually, taking a sat beside Craig. Clyde, however, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Thomas sitting on Kenny's lap. The look on his face was one mixed with horror and disgust.

"The fuck...?" he stuttered simply, standing where he was like a statue.

"Oh, don't be a jackass," Stan advised, putting down the notes he was previously going through.

"Whatever," Clyde sighed, sitting beside Token. He began unpacking his bag. "I feel like almost everyone's gay now."

"You say it like it's a bad thing!" Kenny laughed, resting his head affectionately on Thomas's shoulder. "Love is love, man. Embrace it."

"I'd rather not embrace that kind of thing, thank you very much. I like girls."

I looked over to Craig, starting when I noticed how dark his expression was. I hesitantly touched his arm, looking at him curiously. He looked back at me a moment, almost sadly, before turning to Clyde. "There's something you need to know," he said simply.

"Oh, please," Clyde laughed jovially, tapping Craig on the arm. "Don't tell you've hopped on the rainbow express too!" He laughed at his own stupid joke, but paused when he noticed the darkly serious expression his best friend's face. "Wait, you're not-"

"Yes," Craig snapped, pushing away Clyde's hand. "I am. Tweek and I are...going out now." He stood up quickly, pushing his way past everyone and storming out of the room. He flicked everyone off on the way.

"Wait!" Clyde shouted before running after the boy. I slipped down in my chair, wanting to die of embarrassment. Practically everyone in the library had heard what Craig said and were staring at me with confused and disgusted expressions. The only ones who didn't react were Stan, Kyle, Thomas, Kenny, and Token, who were all looking instead at the two boys with concern. From the small window in the door, you could see them fighting.

"Should I...?" Token started, but shook his head. "I'll let them solve this themselves. I'm happy for you, Tweek. About you and Craig, I mean." He smiled sensitively at me, and I returned the gesture. Token really was a kind guy.


	15. Tickle Fight

_Sorry this is coming in a day late. I was at my friend's house for the night. In speaking of which, have any of you seen a movie called Truth or Die? It's amazing. It's about these 5 friends who are invited to the birthday party of a boy they think is strange and some curious incidents occur ;) I suggest you watch it, even if you're not into horror movies. The cast is splendid. _

_Moving on! There is only __**one chapter left. **__It will hopefully be posted tomorrow night, but until then feast your eyes on this! _

_Review, favorite, blah blah blah please!_

_~Ari_

* * *

14- Craig's POV

"Fuck you!"

I brushed past Clyde out the door, not even caring about all the people staring at me as I stormed out of the library. So they all knew about Tweek; so the fuck what? I no longer cared, I was so angry I could feel tears in my eyes, blurring my vision. I didn't turn to look at Clyde but I knew he was following me. I wished I could just kill him right there!

However, Clyde ran to catch up with me and grabbed my arm. "Stop!" he shouted back. "Just fucking stop!"

"Why?" I snapped, twisting out of his grip and pushing him back. "So you can laugh at me and call me a fag? Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to listen to that!" I did stop running, though, stopping in the middle of the empty hallway, the sound of intrigued murmurs I didn't care to here reverberating from the library. We stared at each other for a moment, anger turning our faces red.

"Jesus Christ, Craig, I'm not going to call you a fag." Clyde took a step back, looking at me with disgust. "I just...fuck, man, why didn't you tell me?!"

I laughed darkly, facing away from Clyde. "This isn't the kind of thing you can just tell your homophobic best friend casually," I grabbed the back of my neck, taking a deep breath to help myself calm down. "I didn't even know until a few days ago."

There was a pause, and I thought for a moment Clyde was going to hit me. He took a step towards me, tensing up like he was about to raise an arm but he stopped mid step. The anger in his eyes turned to sadness, and his voice softened, though still noticeably hostile. "I don't even know you anymore," he whispered.

"Clyde..."

But I knew what he meant. A few weeks ago, I would have laughed at the boy in the sushi restaurant eating with his male date. I would have made fun of the boy who carried the passed out blonde to the nurse. I would have been disgusted in the boy making out with his crush on his bed at three o'clock in the morning, looked down on the one woken up with a kiss the next morning. I would have found him gross and unnatural, being the bully I was before. But, now, I've become that boy and Clyde, my best friend, was there to witness it, me becoming the type person we hated to so much. And yet, I expected him to just go along with it, as if he could change his point of view with the tip of a hat. I knew Clyde; he was the kind of person who hated change, and this was one of the biggest changes he'd seen from me. Who was I to hate him for that? I'm supposed to be his best friend.

I sighed, stepping closer to the brunette. "I'm sorry."

* * *

Tweek's POV

I groaned, my face still buried in my arms. I could feel the stares circling around me, hear the whispers wafting through the room. Every single person in the library knew and, before long, everyone else at school would know as well. Who would've thought Craig Tucker, the level-headed, laid-back tall guy with the cynical attitude would be gay? They'd laugh about it forever and it was all my fault. If I wasn't such a fucking idiot...

"Tweek!" I looked up to see Kyle grab my shoulder, looking at me with concern and sympathy. I noticed that my eyes were watering up. Great, now I looked like even more of a faggot. "It's okay, Tweek," he continued kindly, wrapping me in a hug. "Everything will be okay."

"Yeah," agreed Thomas, reaching over the table to grab my hand. He shot everyone in the room a dirty look before turning back to me with kind eyes. "They're not going to care_ -shit!-_ by tomorrow. Once something else scandalous happens, everyone will forget."

"Yeah, right," I muttered, returning my face to its hideout in my arms. "It would be different i-if it was anybody other than C-Craig," I wiped my eyes hastily with the back of my sleeve. "They already knew about me, but Craig? G-god, they all must be loving this."

As if on queue, I heard the familiar steps of a monumentally large being walk up behind me. I swallowed, taking a look even though I already knew of only one person who could take steps that loudly.

"Why, hello Tweek," the behemoth called from behind, grabbing my shoulder roughly. "I just heard about you situation, as Craig so blatantly exposed."

"W-what do you want, Cartman?" I muttered. I looked around at the other people sitting at the table for help.

"Leave him alone, Cartman," Kenny commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can't you see he's stressed out?"

Eric laughed loudly, his large girth moving around in the process. "That's not the only thing I see! Ha, who would've thought Craig liked penis? And yours? Damn, he must be desperate!"

"Shut the hell up, fatass!" Kyle shouted, standing up to face the large bully.

"I'm not fat, you fucking Jew!" He turned back to me, a cruel smirk on his lips. "Anyway, Tweek, like I was saying, I suppose you realize our policy on homos?" I shook my head hesitantly, avoiding the behemoth's gaze as I tried to make myself small and insignificant. Maybe I could just disappear altogether. "Ah. The policy is that, actually, we keep fags like you in check." Cartman pushed my chair back, making me fall over and forcing me to stand up. I shook, trying to face him. "Of course, this is for everyone's safety. We wouldn't want you staring at our dicks all day or anything, wouldn't you agree?"

"Stop," Kenny said, getting between me and Cartman. He pushed the large boy a little. "If you really have that policy, then why don't you talk to me?" He gestured to Thomas, who had previously been on his lap.

"You're different, Kenny, you fuck anything that breathes." He stepped to the side so he could push past Kenny to me. "You, however, are full out Elton John on a rainbow gay." He grabbed my wrist harshly, causing me to cry out unintentionally. "It's my duty to this school to do something about you before this spreads."

Before I could protest, I was on the ground, Cartman kicking me on the side. Token, Thomas, and all the others tried to get him away but, god, he was just too big.

* * *

Craig's POV

"Sorry?" Clyde started, stepping closer to me. "God, Craig, I don't even know what to do anymore. You can't..._apologize _for being gay, man."

"No, I'm not sorry for that. I'll never apologize for liking Tweek. But, I'm sorry for putting you through all that. For making you have to deal with all these sudden changes and being mad when you didn't adapt fast enough. You're my best friend, Clyde. I don't want this to come any farther between us than it already has."

"Me neither, but-"

"But I can't take it back," I finished. "And even if I could, I wouldn't. Tweek is here to stay, and I'm sorry that you don't like it but it's my choice. I would have laughed at who I am now a few weeks ago but things have changed. I guess I'm finally figuring out who I am. And, please Clyde. I need you to be here for me like I'm here for you."

Clyde, surprisingly, laughed. Not a dark or sarcastic laugh but his usual, genuine laugh. "Deal," he said with finality, gripping me in a tight hug. "I'm sorry I'm such a jack ass. I can't really help it sometimes. But you are my best friend and I'll be here for you. Just give me time to get used to things, okay? I know it's stupid but this is a huge transition for me."

"Yes," I agreed. "I will. Thank you, Clyde."

"Let's go back now, buddy." Clyde smiled his goofy smile, leading me back to the library.

It felt good to have Clyde back. We've always had our ups and downs, even going to far as for Token to compare us to an old married couple. But, we always got over it and grew closer as friends through the fights. I just hoped that this would come too far in between us, that Clyde would still see me as the same person. I knew it would be hard for him, but I knew he would try to get used to the idea of Tweek and I. He really was a good person underneath his self-centered coating.

We laughed, back to old friends, not even caring that there was people looking at us as we entered the library. However, there was some other point of interest; our table. I looked over hesitantly, to find Cartman literally on top of Tweek, beating him up.

"Fuck!" I shouted, scrambling to the scene. "Help me," I called back to Clyde, who quickly followed. With the help of the others, we tried to remove the behemoth off the small blonde.

"Get away from Tweek!" I shouted, managing to push the large boy off of Tweek and punched him hard on the face.

"What the hell?" Cartman stumbled, trying to regain his balance. "Who the hell did that?"

"Guess," I said, connecting my fist with Cartman's cheek once more. He fell down this time, rubbing his face in shock.

"Whatever!" he blundered, standing up. "I don't have time for your faggoty antics. Screw you guys, I'm going home!" He stomped out of the library, cradling his puffy cheek gingerly.

There was a silence throughout the whole room, everyone staring in shock at me. I looked around briefly, flipping everyone off.

* * *

Tweek's POV

"Jesus Christ, Tweek," Craig breathed, rushing towards me. He sat down on the ground next to me, wrapping me in his strong arms. "I'm so sorry."

I gasped, grasping the tall dark boy back, still stuttering from what had just happened. "Oh..." I grunted, rubbing my stomach where Cartman had kicked it.

Everyone from our table crowded around us, trying to help. "Oh god, are you okay?" Kenny knelt down next to me, quickly followed by Thomas who rubbed my head sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, we tried to help but Cartman is like a fucking train."

"It's okay..." I stammered, trying to smile up at everyone. "I'm a-all good." I tried gingerly to sit up, met only with a sharp stabbing pain in my side that force me to quickly fall back onto Craig. "Ouch."

Surprisingly, Craig started _laughing. _"Hey!" I exclaimed, miffed at his lack of seriousness. The boy chuckled as he buried his face in my shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "You're just so damn cute." I blushed at him, looking around at the snickering classmates surrounding us. "I'll stop now."

"You're really hurt," Thomas exclaimed, grabbing my hand. "You should just go home now and take care of yourself."

"Uh.." I hesitated, looking up at Craig. "School's not over yet. I s-should-"

"No," Token inserted. "You've been badly hurt. You should go home and take care of yourself before you bruise." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Craig stood up, taking me with him in his arms. "I'll take you home," he said, starting for the door. "There's no way you'll be able to get back yourself."

"Oh...okay," I said meekly, too weak to put up a fight. To be honest, I really wanted to go home anyway. I was tired and in pain and today had been so long. This was our last class anyway, so whatever. People walked out during school without permission all the time.

"I'll take you to my house because it's closer," Craig said as we walked out the library, him not paying attention to the curious stares being thrown as us by our little audience. I nodded in agreement blearily.

Craig carried me in his arms the whole mile to his house, not breaking a sweat along the way. He acted as if I weighed nothing, and I felt embarrassed at my smallness. As if I were a baby he was carrying around instead of his boyfriend. "Maybe I should walk..."

"Nope," Craig said. "You're too hurt."

I sighed, not wanting to argue. This was an awkward situation but I couldn't argue with a stubborn Craig. I was too tired anyway.

Before long, we arrived at Craig's house. He sneaked in past his mother, who sat at the kitchen table reading a book. Thankfully, she didn't notice him walking in so we weren't confronted. We went to his room where he laid me down on his bed. "I'll be right back," Craig said. "I'm getting an ice pack."

"Okay," I muttered, blushing as memories of a few nights ago filling my mind. I remembered Craig, in his boxers with his shirt pulled up, his warmth radiating on top of me. I quickly banished the thought before my lower body got any ideas.

Craig returned quickly, gripping the ice pack and a first aid kit. "Lift up your shirt," he commanded, which I hesitantly obeyed. It felt strange with Craig standing above me, pressing an ice pack to my abnormally thin midsection. I avoided eye contact, too embarrassed from my recent memory.

We sat there for a moment like that in silence, Craig sitting on the edge of his bed, pressing the ice pack to me as I liad there awkwardly. I wasn't sure what to say after what all had happened. "S-so, Clyde,eh?" I said.

"Yeah. We're friends again," he replied simply. "Does it still hurt?"

I sat up a little, then pressed my fist to my small. I flinched; it hurt like a bitch. "Uh huh."

Craig laughed, poking my cheek. "Why would you do that, dipwad?" he joked.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he stuck his back out at me. I poked his cheek and he laughed again. "Oh yeah?" he said. "How about this?" He began to mercilessly tickle me, holding me down with his strong arms, putting me at a distinct disadvantage.

"No fair!" I whined, trying to wriggle free of his grasp. But he kept me down, tickling my sides in a torturous way. "Stooooooop," I laughed, trying to tickle him back.

"Never!" he exclaimed, and gave me a raspberry on my stomach. I squealed, trying to push him off. He gave me another, then another, and suddenly the raspberries turned to little kisses and we were no longer laughing. He moved up, kissing me on my chest and my neck, and adjusted himself so he was on top of me.

He moved up to my lips and we began to kiss gently, Craig carefully not to put any pressure of my bruised stomach. I ran my tongue along his lower lip, inciting a moan from the taller boy. He cupped the side of my face, leaning in closer and deepening our motions.

He broke away for a moment, looking at me in the eyes in a really sexy way. He made like he was going to remove my shirt, but suddenly his mouth was back on my stomach and he had given me another raspberry. I sat up quickly, swatting the laughing boy with one of his pillows. "Ugh!" I groaned, trying to push him off the bed. "You're so mean!"

"Haha, sorry!" he laughed. "You were asking for it, Tweek-"

While he was distracted, I tackled Craig, assaulting him with tickles. "You suck!" I exclaimed, trying to keep him down. However, he easily got me off, reclaiming the advantage.

"Okay, okay, I surrender," I groaned.

"Awesome!" Craig said with satisfaction. "I win. Now, what were we doing again? Oh that's right-" He grabbed me around the waist, pressing me back against the bed.

Once again he pressed his lips against mine, and we melted into each other.


	16. Fire

_This is it, fellas! The last chapter. It's been lovely and I feel that this story has been pretty adequate, considering it's my first multiple chapter thing-a-ma-bobber on my own. I did write another with my friend a few years ago (her username thing is Blaze of Flaming Glory. Check out her stories.) So hopefully, I'll ease back into my writing pattern after this little hiatus thing. A Haunting Melody may or may not be continued. I don't really have enough interest in it, sorry._

_Thank you for all the lovely reviews you guys have given me. Please look me up every once in a while because I might have a new story up. I'm thinking of doing some that may involve Homestuck, RoTG (again) South Park of course, Black Butler, and a few others. We'll just have to wait an see ;)_

_Enjoy!_

_~Ari_

* * *

15- Tweek's POV

_3 months later:_

"Ouch! It's too tight!" I exclaimed, pulling on the tight collar around my neck. My best friend Thomas stood in front of me, trying to tie by bow tie. Unfortunately, he was no better than me and was tying the thing around my neck tighter than a noose.

"One sec," he muttered in concentration, working his way around the dark red accessory. "One...more...and, done!" He stepped back, examining his work with satisfaction. "There! You look _-shit!- _great, Tweekers!"

"Really?" I asked, turning around to look at myself in Thomas's mirror. Yeah, it looked pretty nice. I was wearing the classic dance outfit; black pants, black tuxedo-style blazer, white shirt, and black dress shoes. The red bow tie was a personal touch. "You think Craig will like it?" I asked hesitantly as I tried to fix my unruly blonde hair. It looked so out of place with this snazzy getup, like a little boy trying on his father's suit.

"Oh course," Thomas assured, waving a hand at me. "But, you know, Craig _-shit!- _would like you in anything. Now, what about me? Is Kenny gonna like this?" My blonde friend did a little cute turn, showing off his ensemble. As I had gone for a more classical look, Thomas went for retro with his light grey shirt, brown suspenders, and brown pants. He wore Sperries and, like me, a red bow tie. He looked great as always.

"Kenny's g-gonna _love _it," I assured with a bright smile, giving Thomas a pat on the shoulder. "But...I think he'd prefer if you didn't wear anything."

"Hey!" Thomas laughed, poking me in the stomach. "Unfortunately, I have to wear clothes to the dance. Bummer, right?" I chuckled, nodding in agreement.

Tonight was the winter formal; the biggest dance at South Park High School aside from prom. This was somewhat of a homecoming mixed with Christmas celebration, where everyone wore fancy clothes and danced and had a good time. It was the one night of the year when everyone stopped giving a shit about social status and just had fun.

Craig and I were going together, of course, having dated for three months. Kenny and Thomas were going together as well. So, at around eight o'clock, I was in Thomas's bedroom, getting dressed and preparing for the big night ahead. Craig was supposed to arrive soon to drive us over with Kenny, and I was really freaking nervous. This was a huge step forward, being only the second time we appeared at school as a couple since that one unfortunate time involving Cartman in the library. Of course, we still walked together in the hallway and everything but we never held hands or kissed in front of our classmates. Tonight, though, we planned to change that.

At the winter formal, there had never been a same-sex couple openly dancing together. Thomas, Kenny, Craig, and I planned to be the first to do so and it would probably end up being a big deal. The kids at our school, heck, our town in general, were not very accepting to say the least.

But, whatever, right? I thought as I combed down my hair once more. There had to be a first for everything and if there was anyone to do it, it was Craig. He had a lot of confidence.

"Someone's blushing!" Thomas exclaimed, snapping me out of my stupor.

"Eek! S-sorry, uh...when do t-they get here?" I tugged a strand of hair, pacing the room.

"It should _-shit!- _be about now, I think," Thomas replied, looking at his watch. He looked up at me curiously as I paced. "It's okay, Tweek," he assured me, wrapping me in a hug. "I'm nervous, too. But once we get there and you're with Craig you'll forget that anyone's watching." He winked. "Trust me."

"I guess you're right," I muttered, smiling up at my friend. "Thank you." Just then, the front door rang. I automatically jumped as usual, eternally hyped up on the coffee I constantly drank. Anyway, Thomas ran out of his room, grabbing my hand for me to follow behind.

"Hey!" he greeted excitedly as he opened the door. Kenny and Craig entered the house, both looming inches about Thomas and I. Thomas whistled, taking in the view. Kenny was wearing an elegant black tuxedo and a slender black tie. "You look like a young, shaggier version of James Bond," Thomas commented, grabbing the sandy blonde's hand and leading him inside. He certainly had a matching charisma to the British spy.

"And Craig-wow." Thomas winked up at the tall boy who looked entirely different from how he usually looked, it was almost unrecognizable. But, damn, he looked sexy. His dark hair had been styled up in a wavy quiff, exposing his piercing green eyes. He wore a matching grey pants and a vest over a white shirt. His tie matched the grey and hung high, the whole ensemble clean and pressed.

"You like it?" Craig said with a smirk, posing in the door frame. "I thought I'd experiment a little with my hair- it's always in my eyes so I thought I'd do a more grown-up approach." He turned to me, a look of shock on his pale face. "Wow, Tweek. You look incredible."

I blushed as Craig came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist affectionately. "That blazer really suits you, Tweek. You look sexy as hell, like an English gentleman." He pressed his forehead to my own, looking down into my eyes. With a peck on the cheek, he said, "We'll have a great time tonight."

"Y-yeah," I stuttered nervously, smiling up at him. "And you l-look great yourself. Very handsome."

He laughed, kissing up my neck and cheeks. "Why, thank you," he said in between playful pecks. Kenny cleared his throat, pushing his way between us.

"Save that for the dance!" he commanded, pulling us to the door. "Now let's go before we're late!"

All four of us piled in Craig's father's truck- a rather tight fit, not that any of us minded. I practically had to sit on Craig's lap for us all to fit. "Be careful over speed bumps," Kenny said with a wink, causing me to turn an extra dark shade of crimson.

It was a short drive, only about one or two miles. When we arrived at the school, it was clear the dance had already begun. Even from a block away, you could hear the steady thump of music reverberating from the school. Teenagers in nice clothes gathered together in clumps both inside and outside of the building, laughing and talking. Girls adjusted each others' makeup and heels, guys joked around, pulling each others' ties and stuff. And with the clean layer of snow covering the street like powdered sugar, it was all the scene of a perfect winter formal.

"Let's go in!" Thomas exclaimed excitedly, hopping out of Craig's truck. We scurried inside after the boy, into the balloon and streamer filled gymnasium. It looked like a whole new place with the lights down, decorations up, and tons of happy dancing people scattered around.

"Hey guys!" I turned to see Stan and Kyle in similar black suits heading towards us, drinks in hand. "You look great," Stan said with a smile.

"Are you still planning to do the thing?" Kyle asked. We had told them both earlier about our plan to be the first same-sex couples to slow dance at school. As expected, they fully supported the idea.

Craig nodded. "Of course."

"Awesome!" Stan exclaimed over the music. "I'm gonna go find Wendy." He and Kyle waved, leaving to find Stan's date. The four of us started to dance in the mosh pit forming in the center of the gym, basically just jumping to the fast tempo-ed EDM.

As the night wore on, we danced and danced, getting sweaty and tired but so excited. Craig looked to be genuinely enjoying himself, jumping up and down in time to the music. We made sure to keep a safe distance, wanting to save any contact for the anticipated slow dance near the end of the night.

An hour or two in, Clyde and Bebe showed up arm in arm. "Hey, guys!" Clyde greeted happily, already dancing.

"Hi," Bebe giggled, her short blonde waves bouncing as she danced. "Are you having fun?"

"Hell yeah!" Kenny called over the music. "It's too bad I didn't go last year!"

We talked a little, but moved on quickly as the music blocked out most conversation. A few more people walked in, including Token who came with Red. Though Cartman was there, he chose to keep a distance. I laughed. The behemoth must have been afraid of Craig!

Before long, the music started to slow down and the familiar piano intro of 'Fire' by Augustana began to play. People stepped back, allowing room for couples.

_No it don't come easy_. _No it don't come fast._

Craig smiled softly down at me, carefully wrapping me up in his arms. I blushed, frightened by the audience. Regardless, I leaned in close to my boyfriend, resting my hands on his shoulders. I never took my eyes off him as we began to shuffle our feet in a simple slow dance.

_Lock me up inside your garden. Take me to the riverside._

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Thomas and Kenny dancing together as well. Kenny looked so happy, justing looking down at Thomas with a deep, genuine affection. Thomas smiled up at the slightly taller blonde, whispering something to him I couldn't hear. They looked as though they were in their own little world, a world consisting of only them. The moment was so intimate I felt almost like I was intruding just by being in the same room. Their chemistry reminded me a lot of how I felt about Craig, the boy who was currently holding me in his arms as we danced.

_Fire, burning me up._

__The other couples looked on in confusion as Craig and I danced, but for once I truly did not care. All I wanted was to be with Craig, to see him and touch him and hear his voice, his laugh. And here he was in the flesh, the boy I'd dreamed about since god knows when. I could feel the warmth of his body pressed against my own as we danced, a step from side to side in time with the music. He was a dream come to life, a tall dark dream that was with me and me alone. Somehow, he liked me back and it was more than I could ever ask for.

_Desire taking me so much higher. And leaving me whole._

I rested my forehead on Craig's shoulder, closing my eyes as I captured the moment. Craig ran a hand down my back, grabbing my hand in his own. He stepped back, and twirled me. I laughed, complying to the cheesy dance move. When I twirled back to him, he captured me in his arms, laughing as he leaned me back. "Stop," I laughed, blushing. I could hear Kenny laughing beside us, and he copied the dance move with Thomas.

"Fine, fine," Craig sighed. "But it'll cost you."

"What?" I asked with a smirk.

_There you were in your black dress. Moving slow to the sadness._

Craig leaned down, pressing his lips softly to my own. I started for a moment, surprised to display such PDA in front of the whole school, but I kissed back, cupping his cheek with my free hand. The other was still in his own by our side. We were barely even dancing anymore, just going through the motions as we kissed.

_I could watch you dance for hours. I could take you by my side._

I kept my eyes closed as we pulled away, not wanting the kiss to end. Instead, I planted a kiss on his collarbone. Craig looked down to me, his green eyes crinkled in a smile. "You're adorable," he whispered, kissing me on the forehead.

"I love you," I said suddenly. I gasped, taking a step back.

I looked up at Craig with concern, not sure how he would react. I wasn't one to quickly proclaim love for someone, so when I did say it, I meant it. But did Craig feel the same way? I cursed myself for my imprudence. "Sorry, I didn't-" I started, but Craig cut me off with another kiss, this one longer and deeper than the last.

"I love you too, Tweekers. Always."

* * *

_Well, that would be the end. Sorry for the cheesiness. Whelp, hope you liked it anyway! I appreciate all the support :)_

_~Ari_


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